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GUIDE

10 THF.

GREAT RAILWAYS

ENGLAND,

AND THEIR CONNECTIONS WITH THE

CONTINEKT.

o r t o n & Ci^ o

//;

ON THE WING.

Our life of to-day is a life of change which is constantly developing. The
world has grown older, wiser, and more epicurean. If we eat less and drink
less, we make up for these shortcomings by an imperious demand for more
subtle enjoyments. Our claim is for new scenes, new emotions, and new phases
of life, and one result of this is, that we are constantly on the wing. We crave
for change as our forefathers craved for the excitement of boxing, bull-baiting,
and rat-killing. In our wider intellectual sympathies we bring the world
within our ken, and railways and steamboats minister to our wants. One
man essays to reach the North Pole, a second takes a holiday trip through
Central Africa, whilst a third passes from continent to continent until he
has girdled the earth in his peregrinations. These are the more marked
features of our life of to-day. In its modest phases, it flits to and fro between
those localities which are famous from their associations with the past or
fashionable from their connection with the whim of the present. In the
quieter portions of the country the older residents migrate to the sea shore
and enjoy the sea air at one or other of the watering-places scattered round
our coast. Their numbers testify to their wide popularity and the general
advantages they bring. Men who are weary of work, ecjually with men who
are weary of monotony, find renewed health springs from the change, and
they gather new life as they linger on the borders of the sea. Whitby and
Morecombe, Brighton and Ilfracombe, Scarborough and Torquay, illustrate
the various positions from the far north to the extreme south. At one and all
there is the same teaching, a desire to reap the charm of the hour, and they
find that which they seek, either in some quiet nook where the ceaseless
plash of the waves on the shore brings a luUing sense of repose, or amid
some brilliant throng where excitement kills care. Amid such conditions
men and women find new charms in life and reap fresh enjoyment from the
undying law of change.

The great railways of England minister to the wants thus indicated. In the
summer time the night express carries thousands to the Scotch mountains
and Scotch moors ; in the late autumn the same travellers pass south,
and find a temporary resting-place at Eastbourne or Ventnor, Bournemouth
or Hastings; whilst in the early days of winter they bridge the Channel by
way of Calais or Boulogne, and flit with the swallows to warmer and more
genial climes. Amid it all, the love of change and novelty remains paramount.
Each locality furnishes fresh sources of interest, and each year brings a
livelier sympathy with the teachings of the past. Our great cathedrals
in their pinnacled beauty are appealing to a more educated taste and a
more appreciative sense. The remains of mediaival abbeys, splendid in
their decay, compete for supremacy with the ruins of the castle embosomed
in ivy or overgrown with moss. Men clamber over the stones or rest under
the shadow of their walls, and recall the days when the Church was supreme

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0)1 the Wino-.

and carried alike the temporal and spiritual swords. All these scenes of
interest are scattered with a lavish hand throughout our English soil.
Memories of the past arise at every step. The battle-fields where English
freedom was fought for, won and secured, are to be found far and wide. 'J'he
modest homes where great men were born constitute shrines to which
human sympathy clings with an ever-growing intensity, and towards which the
steps of the traveller turns with an ever-increasing zest. Stratford-on-Avon
is a spot where devotees from every quarter of the world are constantly
thronging. Tn a lesser but not less true sense, the locality of the Ayrshire
ploughman is becoming a central thought to millions of English speaking
men. All these things are true of our own soil, and they are equally true
with respect to the various places on the Continent. It would not be
difficult to point out localities in Germany, France, and Italy that would
vie with the noblest of ours at home. We have no mountain scenery
like that of Switzerland, no winter cUmate like that on the borders of the
Mediterranean, and no wonder like that of the disentombed Pompeii. We
have teachings that come close home because they are our own ; but, in a
wider sense, no education can be described as perfect, that has not embraced
Continental thought and associations. This can only be done by personally
mingling with the people on the Continent. This feeling is widespread,
and large masses of our people are constantly availing themselves of the
opportunities which exist for travelling both well and cheaply. The railways
have formed connections with the Continent at various points. Thus the
Great Eastern have perfected their arrangement for connecting London with
Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Rhine, and the North of Europe ; the
South Eastern with Paris and the Continent by way of Folkestone and
Boulogne ; the London, Chatham and Dover with Brussels and Cologne
by way of Dover and Calais ; whilst the Brighton links with Dieppe and
Normandy, and the Great Western and South Western unite the south
coast with Cherbourg and the Channel Islands. From the various points
here indicated, the foreign railways branch forth, bringing into close
connection every part of Europe.

In these days not to have seen the Continent is to have been excluded
from some of the most exquisite sights that the world can yield. The
far-famed beauties of the Rhine, with their vine-clad sides and ruined castles,
must be seen to be loved. The glories of Alpine scenery and the vigorous
stimulus of its strong air bring back new conceptions of life as they bring
back new tone to the nerves. The unique beauties of Venice, absolutely
alone in their special characteristics, linger like the refrain of a rich melody
on the memory, and once seen are never forgotten. In A\-ignon, Marseilles,
and the cities that border the Mediterranean, we have associations that carry
us back into the far past, and living facts that give charm to the life of
to-day. When London is shrouded in fog, the sun shines and flowers bloom
at Nice, Cannes, and the long sweep of the Riviera. Lower down is Genoa,
with its palaces and terraces rising ever upward, giving finish and beauty to

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On the Wiiio.

one of the loveliest positions in the world. Still further south we reach
Pisa with its falling tower ; Florence rendered immortal by the great names
enrolled in its history, and enthrallingly beautiful by the matchless treasures
that are enclosed within its churches and palaces. In the far distance lie
Rome, Naples, and Pompeii : the first with its myriad claims, the second
with its matchless beauty, and the third with its unapproached interest as
the most marvellous relic in the world. All these and a thousand other
sources of interest, information, and wonder are scattered over the highways
of the Continent. All these claims to attention and appreciation are
accepted hy our keen cousins across the water. They imbibe knowledge
with a passionate zest, and measure distance with a careless indifference.
With tliem a visit to Europe is regarded as a pleasant interlude among more
serious questions. A trip across " the herring pond," and a scamper through
the Old World cities is reduced to tlie level of a holiday outing. The perfect
finish of ocean steamers and the vivid recognition that change prolongs life
is producing a somewhat similar feeling among ourselves. Cheap through
routes available for two months add to the temptation, and wc thus find that
the class of those who travel is ever growing.

We now append three routes for the Continent which embrace the most
special points of interest.

Italian t/iivugh line.

tonnerre.

Dijon.

Aix-les-Bains.

Chamberry.

Cenis Tunnel, etc.

Turin.

Milan.

Verona.

Venice.

Turin to Brindisi.
Parma.

.MODENA.

Bologna.
Ancona.

FOGGIA.

Bart.
Brindisi.

Turin to Naples.

Genoa.

Pisa.

Leghorn.

CiviTA Vecchia.

Rome.

Naples.

AND

From Pa) is to the South via Dijon.

Lyons.

Avignon.

Tarrascon.

Arles.

Marseilles.

Toulon.

Cannes.
Nice.
Monaco.
Monte Carlo.
Bordighera.
San Remo.

.'i^P

^amonutbn.

OBcinonniiiH.

UNDERGROUND.

The construction of the Metropolitan Railway illustrates very vividly the
density of London life, and the mode in which engineers have grappled
with the difficulty. To run a line from Paddington into the City three
courses were open. One was to choose the road level, and thus practically
block all other traffic. This was obviously inadmissible. A second was
to construct it on pillars level with the first floor windows as in New York,
or on brick arches similar to that of the Blackwall line. Both these
ideas were not only expensive but open to many other objections. A
third course remained, which was to run beneath the level. This was
finally adopted and received in common parlance the title of " The Under-
ground." The original idea has been largely extended, and that which at the
outset was a mere branch from Paddington to Farringdon Street, now runs
from Aldgate, through Paddington, to Hammersmith and Richmond, and
through Notting Hill Gate, Kensington, and ^^'estminster, to the Mansion
House Station, forming the completion of the inner circle. At first sight
few things could look so little needed as a Guide to the Metropolitan
Railway, yet in reality there are few lines in England where such
information is more essentially necessary. It may be pointed out that
almost all the great railways which have termini in London, either have
running powers over some portion of the system, or are placed in direct
relationship with it. To make this clear, it will be better to mention the
more salient points connected with each station. The present terminus
of the Metropolitan Railway is at Aldgate, which is the station nearest
to the Docks, the Tower of London, and the Fenchurch Street Station
of the Blackwall Railway, from which ready access can be obtained to any
of the eastern parts of London. The next station is that of Bishopsgate :
here are the termini of the Great Eastern Railway and the North London
Railway. Passing onward the next station is that of Moorgate Street ; here
several of the larger railways have booking offices, and their trains run into
this station. These railways are the London, Chatham, and Dover, the Mid-
land, the Great Northern, and the Great Western. Passengers can book
through to any station on their respective lines. Aldersgate Street Station is
the next, and is the point nearest for St. Paul's Cathedral, the General Post
Office, and the locality of the general ^Lanchester trade. The next station
is that of Farringdon Street, near to which is the Holborn Viaduct and New-
gate. One step further on is King's Cross, where the junction is formed with
the Great Northern and Midland Railways ; whilst Gower Street is the point
nearest to the British Museum, and also the station nearest to Euston, the
main terminus of the London and North Western Railway. After which we
arrive at Portland Road for Regent's Park, and Baker Street for St. John's

9 B

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Underground.

Wood, where passengers have to leave their carriages and pass over the bridge
into the St. John's Wood Raihvay Station, the hne of which is now extended
to Harrow. The next station is Edgware Road, the great junction of the
line, for here the train sweeps either to the right or the left ; if to the right
then through Bishop's Road Station to tlie Hammersmith branch. At this
point the Metropolitan Railway joins the Great Western line (the main ter-
minus of which is at Paddington), and passes onward through Westbourne
Park, Notting Hill, and Hammersmith, to Kew Gardens and Richmond.
At Notting Hill there is a junction with the middle route for Addison
Road, Kensington, whence the line continues to Gloucester Road Station,
rejoining the Inner Circle or main line at that point. To complete the
Inner Circle it is necessary to return to ELdgware Road. After starting,
the train sweeps to the left at the junction and passes through Praed
Street, Notting-Hill Gate, South Kensington, and AVestminster, to the
Mansion House, which is the terminal station on this part of the route.
In a rough way this indicates the grouping and connection of the Metro-
politan Railway, the more specific details of stations and the points of
interest which are nearest to them are given at page 40. Special care
has been taken to protect passengers from mistakes, by placing at each
station a notice board, on which is indicated the destination of every train
before it enters the station. We turn from these matters of detail to
point out that the Metropolitan Railway runs through a district that in
certain respects has no equal in the world. No capital can boast of parks
equal to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. No museums equal our
South Kensington and British Museums, in fulness of resource, untold
wealth, and abundance of example. No gallery combines the same ground-
work of scientific teaching and artistic treasure, illustrating alike the
past and the present, as our own National Gallery. More splendid
l)aintings illustrative of particular schools, or particular men, occur in
almost every gallery of note in Europe, but in its combined aspect it may
challenge any that can be named. It has risen out of chaos, and has before
it a splendid future In a somewhat similar sense the surroundings of
Westminster Abbey are absolutely unique. No other spot exists where
the most illustrious examples of the past are entwined so closely with the
virile life of the present, while in mere architectural beauty it can fairly
hold its own. No one Avould compare London with Paris so far as
mere beauty is concerned, yet on our Thames Embankments there are
phases of grouping which will vie with the most superb points of view of
the Paris Quays. All these localities, with numberless others, lie on the
route of the Metropolitan Railway. Those who want to see London should
remember that, like all great cities, its objects of attraction and interest are
endless ; they grow out of every struggle and are increased by every epoch.
Yet in a rough way there are not above a dozen special sights whose

j reputation is world-wide, and all of these can be readily reached by the

I Underground Railway.

% '° I

THE TOWER.

Before we descend to the platform of Aldgate Station, we feel bound
to avail ourselves of our proximity to the Tower, and pay a visit to that
venerable fortress. Passing down the IMinories, a wide thoroughfare occu-
pying the site of an old City ditch, and named after a convent of minoresses
suppressed in 1593, we soon emerge upon an open space. Looking across
the wide moat of the fortress, now laid out as a garden and drill-ground,
there rises boldly and commandingly, behind a double line of battlements,
the glorious old pile known as the llVii/e Toiver, the most remarkable relic
of Norman architecture in England. Built for William the Conqueror, by
his famous engineer and leader of the church militant, Bishop Gundulph of

Rochester, this keep of the ancient fortress, in its simple grandeur, contrasts
most advantageously with the pretentious buildings of more modern date
which surround it. On his way to the entrance-gate the \isitor passes
Tower Hill, the former place of execution. Sir Simon Burley, the faithful
friend of Richard II., was the first whose head fell here beneath the a.\e,
in 1389, and the long list of victims of royal tyranny, religious intolerance,
or political intrigue closes in 1 746, with Lord Lovat, the Jacobite, who was
the last person beheaded in this country.

At the Lion's Gate, near which the King's menagerie was kept until its
removal to the Zoological Gardens, in 1842, we provide ourselves with tickets,
and are then conducted to the principal sights by Warders, attired in the
costume of Henry VIII. 's body-guard. Crossing the moat we find ourselves
in the " Outer Bail." On our left rises the Bell Tower, in which the
Princess — afterwards Queen Elizabeth — was kept a prisoner.

The Governor's lodgings adjoin it, the council chamber, in which Guy

The Tower.

Fawkes and his accomplices in the Gunpowder Plot were subjected to a
"rigorous" examination, forming part of it. On the right yawns the
Traitors' Gate, through which prisoners brought by water were admitted ;
and nearly opposite to it stands the liloody Tower, the traditional scene of
the murtler of the sons of Edward IV. Passing through a gateway of
massive and melancholy aspect, with a portcullis hanging above it, as befits
a prison, we thus enter the " Inner Bail." Right in front lies Totuer Green,
the place of execution of Queens Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, of
Lady Jane Grey and the Earl of Essex. Together with other victims of
those bloody times, they have found a last resting-place in the unpretending
church of St. Peter ad Vincula, which we see at the bottom of the green.

But our attendant Warder, anxious to perform his round of duty as
expeditiously as possible, scarcely allows the memory to linger over the
historical associations which a visit to this ancient fortress, prison, and royal
residence call up before us. Hurriedly we are conducted through the
Horse Armoury, which, in addition to the effigies of tw^enty-two knights in
armour, contains an invaluable collection of ancient weapons and military
equipments. A staircase leads thence to an upper floor, and passing through
the wall of the White Tower, seventeen feet thick, we reach Queen Elizabeth's
Armoury, thus called because it contains some spoils from the great Spanish
Armada. An effigy of the Virgin Queen occupies a recess at the lower end
of this apartment ; but visitors will turn with more interest to the dark
dungeon in which Sir Walter Raleigh was confined for twelve years, and to
the block and axe used at the last execution on Tower Hill. Returning by
the way we came, we once more find ourselves on Tower Green, and are then
conducted over the White Tower, perhaps the most dainty arsenal in the
world, the trophies formed of rifles, sabres, bayonets, and ramrods being
most creditable to the taste of the men in charge of this famous repository
of warlike weapons. Si. John's Chapel, which, extends through two stories of
the Tower, is typical of the rude vigour of the age in which it was con-
structed. It is one of the last apartments into which the visitor is con-
ducted, but certainly not the least interesting.

When our Warder finally takes leave of us we issue once more upon
Tower Green, opposite to the castellated Wellington barracks. A squad of
incipient guardsmen may possibly occupy our attention for a few minutes.
But before leaving a locality so rich in historical associations we ought to
have a look into Beauchamp Tower, named from Thomas de Beauchamp,
Earl of Warwick, who was confined within it in 1397 ; and which is popu-
larly, though erroneously, supposed to have likewise been the place of
imprisonment of Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey. We should, before
leaving the Inner Bail, turn into the Record Tower, and have a look at
the Crown Jewels, which are kept there in an iron cage.

It may here be stated that the Armouries and Jewel House are thrown
open free on Mondays and Saturdays, but that one shilling is charged for
admission on the other days of the week.

n'D

THE HEART OF THE CITY.

Alight at Moorgate Street Station, and pass through the block of houses
facing the station so as to reach the main thoroughfare that Ues beyond ;
then turn to the right, when five minutes' walk, will bring you to the Bank
of England, Mansion House, Royal Exchange, and Guildhall, each one of
which has associations, either in the present or the past, that render them
worthy of being seen. Round these centres moves the great whirl of busi-
ness life, keen, pushing, and ceaselessly at work. No words can better
convey the scope and force of its activity than those written by Heine,
'• Send a philosopher to London," wrote he, " and set him at the corner of
Cheapside ; there as he listens he will hear the world's heart beat." 'I'his is

not only poetically beautiful, but substantially accurate. The City of
London is en rapport with the whole world ; for within one hundred yards
of the Bank of England a man may hold converse with every quarter of the
globe. At the Submarine Telegraph Office, telegram follows telegram from
every corner of the earth. East, west, north, and south yield up their
secrets or pour out their wants within that Central Hall. Close by lie
waiting those restless brains, ever on the watch to seize the phase of the
moment by which to coin fresh wealth, either through the alchemy of
journalism or the energy of commerce. On the outside pavement the tide
s\vee])s to and fro. No sight is more impressive than the ceaseless rush :
in its midst may be seen men of wealth, energy, and character either
swaying in the great crowd or being jostled out of the path. Here are
bankers and merchants, stock-jobbers and brokers, the wealthy and the
broken-down, the light-hearted and the bankrujn. all moving in the great
tide, and rising or falling in the gallant struggle for existence.

Whilst in the neighbourhood, London Bridge and the traffic which passes
over it, or which lines the river's bank, is well worthy of being seen.

'^<n.

ST. PAUL'S.

At nearly every one of the City stations we are within reach of localities of
historical or actual interest. Uishopsgate Street, spared by the fire of
1666, was until recently famous for its many picturesque old houses. They
are disappearing fast. The site of the Bull Inn, where Hobson, the Cam-
bridge carrier, used to put up, is now occupied by a pile of offices known
as Palmerston Buildings. London Tavern, so noted for its dinners and
public meetings, has been swept away too. But there still survives much in
this quarter of the town likely to interest the antiquarian, most notable
amongst these relics of old London being a portion of the mansion of Sir
John Crosby, now converted into an eating-house ! Sic transit gloria mundi !

ST. I'AL'Lb CAlHi-DKAL.

The station in Aldersgate Street presents even greater facilities to the
sightseer. We are here close to Smithfield Market, at one time noted for
its jousts and tournaments, its executions and burnings of heretics, and its
uproarious " Bartlemy Fair," abolished in 185 1. Hidden in an alley leading
out of it, stands St. Bartholomew's the Great, one of the finest old
churches in London, and yet hardly ever noticed by the thousands who,
upon business or pleasure bent, daily pass within a few yards of it.

A short walk in the opposite direction takes us to the curious old church
of St. Giles, Critplegate, where Milton lies buried ; and remains of the
Roman Wall of London may be seen in the churchyard.

The great object of attraction is, however, St. Paul's Cathedral.
Passing in imagination through the old City gate, in which John Day, an
eminent printer of the Elizabethan age, had his offices, and where he printed
the folio Bible of 1549, we reach St. ALartin"s-le-Grand. That old sanc-

S/. Paul's.

tuary is occupied now by the General Post Office, a noble edifice of Port-
land stone, completed in 1829, lately supplemented by a vaster building
on the opposite side of the street, in the construction of which utilitarian
considerations prevailed over the claims of art.

We are now close to Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece, erected in the
short space of thirty-six years (1675-1711) upon the site of a Gothic edifice,
which perished in the great fire of London.

The architect proposed to adapt his new building to the forms of Pro-
testant worship, but was thwarted by his employers, who insisted upon the
time-honoured features of a medieval cathedral church being reproduced.
But the genius of Wren rose above the obstacles which impeded his way,
and produced a structure of marvellous unity of design, such as England
may justly be proud of. The noble portico of coupled columns on the west
front is justly admired, and the Dome, rising to a height of 365 feet above
the pavement, forms a conspicuous landmark visible for miles around, its
golden cross glittering in the sun whenever the pall of fog, which so fre-
quently enshrouds London, is uplifted.

St. Paul's is a show-place, its guardians levying a tax of 3^-. 21/. upon all
desirous of seeing everything they have to show. To our mind, however,
visitors may well rest content with a view of the body of the church,
admission to which is free ; a visit to the Crypt (6^/.) and an ascent to
the Golden Gallery (6^/.). P>om the latter, especially on a clear day, may
be enjoyed a marvellous prospect of London, its busy streets, and crowded
harbour.

The interior strikes the beholder by the breadth and harmony of its pro-
portions, no less than by its nakedness and want of ornament. This defect,
however, is being repaired, for St. Paul's, which affords so splendid a field
for the decorative artist, is being "finished" in accordance with the
supposed intentions of its architect. Amongst the seventy monuments
erected in honour of famous men, only a few are deserving of notice as
works of art. Foremost amongst such are the statues of Howard, the i)hilan-
thropist, and of Dr. Johnson, both by Bacon ; of Sir Joshua Reynolds and
Nelson, by Flaxman ; and of Bishop Heber by Chantrey. Observe also the
sumptuous monument erected to the Duke of Wellington in the old consis-
tory court, as well as the fine carvings in the Choir by Grinling Gibbons.

The architect of the church lies buried in its Crypt, but far more con-
spicuous than his humble gravestone are the sarcophagi containing the
remains of two of England's great fighters — Nelson and Wellington.

In the course of his ascent to the Golden Gallery the visitor will be able
to gain some idea of the marvellous skill expended upon the construction
of the Dome. There is an inner dome, visible from the body of the church,
and an outer one covered with timber and lead ; but interposed between
these two rises a cone of brick, which supports the immense weight of the
stone lantern. The stairs which lead from the Stone Gallery to the Golden
Gallery pass between this cone and the outer dome. |

LOK

This Map of London is divided into loo squares. The number affixed to name of ca.i. »,

I 2 3 4

Slan/ortTs Ceo. Eslab.

Bank

Batteksea Park

British Museum

4S I Generai. Post Office 47 I Kexsixgton Gardens

75 I riREAT Northern Ry., King's Cross 36 I Kew Gardens

?6 I HoLBORN Viaduct 47 I Lambeth Palace

)|>N.

jjucd list, denotes the position of the square such place occupies on the Map.

;iON Ho!-SE ...
ONAi, Gallery
NT's Park ...

I. ArADKMV ...

48 I St. James's Park s*; I Tower S8

56 I St. Pancras Station, Midland Rv. 36 Trafaixiar Sqiare 5°

35 I St. Pail's 47 I Victoria Station- 05

s5 I South Kensington Museu.m S4 I Westminster Abbey 5°

-3

THE BRITISH MUSEUM.

From GowF.R Strekt to the British Museum is not a long walk, and as
it conducts the saunterer past University College, with its fine portico and
lofty dome, and through the handsome squares that have been carved out
of the estate of the Duke of Bedford, it is one that can be conscientiously
recommended.

The British Museum, though one of the youngest institutions of the
kind in Europe, is one of the wealthiest in treasures of art and science.
Ascending the broad flight of stairs, and passing through a portico of Ionic
columns, we enter a vestibule of noble proportions. The door in front gives
access to the Reading Room, covered with a huge dome of iron and brick

'CiK^-

140 feet in diameter. The rooms on the right contain a portion of the
Library, and here the visitor may examine some of its most precious
contents, exhibited in glass cases, and arranged chronologically so as to
illustrate the progress of the printer's art.

The galleries on the left are crowded with the masterpieces of Greek and
Roman Art, and the no less remarkable sculptures of Egypt and Assyria,
which carry us back to a period two thousand years anterior to the birth of
Christ. Foremost amongst these treasures are Phidias's famous statues,
which Lord Elgin, in the good old days of Turkish rule, carried away from
the Pantheon in Athens, and sold to Government for ;^35,ooo.

More varied are the articles exhibited on the upper floor. Visitors will
do well to ask one of the attendants to direct them to the " Gold Ornament
Room." It is there some of the most highly prized gems of the Museum
are kept, together with the famous Portland Vase.

The Museum is now open every day in the week.

■f^

REGENT'S PARK.

Portland Road Station gives access to a part of the town which owes
most of its architectural features to Mr. John Nash, who flourished in the
days of the Regency. It was he who laid out Regent's Park, and built most
of the terraces of handsome houses which surround it. Regent Street is
one of our most handsome thoroughfares, and Regent's Park may vie with
any other in picturesqueness. Its most attractive features are the avenue
gardens, with their many tinted flower-beds and a beautiful fountain by
Westmacott ; the broad walk, lined with rows of noble trees ; and the en-
virons of the boating lake. A considerable portion of it has been ceded to
the Zoological Societv, whose gardens contain the largest and most

.3^

ZUULOGICAI. GAKl)h»Nb.

curious collection of living animals in the world. Natives of every clime
have been settled upon these few acres of land, and provided with habita-
tions admirably adapted to render their involuntary confinement less irk-
some. Here dwell in close proximity the growling bear from the ice-clad
north, and the roaring lion from the scorching sands of Sahara ; the docile
elephant captured in the jungles of India, and the chattering monkey from
the primeval forests of South America; the dignified condor from the sum-
mits of the Andes, and the gay-plumaged, screaming birds from the tropics.
There is no more delightful lounge in London than the gardens, especially
on a Saturday afternoon, when a band discourses sweet music ; nor a place
where instruction can more pleasantly be combined with amusement. The
lions are fed at 4 o'clock during the summer, and at 3 during the winter
months. Remember also that the snakes are fed only once a week, on
Fridays, at 3 p.m. The St. John's Wood branch of the Metropolitan Rail-
way skirts the whole of the western side of Regent's Park, and extends
beyond it to within a few minutes' walk of the breezy heights of Hampstead
Heath, with prospects unrivalled in the neighbourhood of London.

''5^

"itr*

HYDE PARK.

Hyde Park may conveniently be reached from the stations in Edgvvare
Road or Praed Street. A reduced copy of Constantine's famous Arch
at Rome has been placed at the Oxford Street entrance, and is known as
the Marble Arch. It stands close to the site originally occupied by the
notorious Tyburn Tree, the common place of execution for several cen-
turies. Upon the gallows there erected, the great Protector's mouldering
remains were hanged after the restoration of Charles II., and then thrown
into a deep hollow at its foot. But let us turn away from such painful
associations and look upon the bright and cheerful scene that lies before us.

Hyde Park is the great lung of London. Though hemmed in now on all

MARBLE >^a«M:

sides by houses, so great is its extent, so breezy are its higher tracts, and so
little is it cumbered with trees, that fancy may roam afar. Standing upon
the high ground near the Marble Arch we obtain occasional glimpses of the
glittering Serpentine, through breaks in the fringe of verdure ; the Houses of
Parliament and other lofty buildings rear their heads above the foliage, and
the hills of Surrey form an effective background.

The Park is a favourite locality for military displays, and is frequently
resorted to as a place for popular meetings, but that which gives it a cha-
racter of its own are its Ladies' Mile and Rotten Row, its processions of
carriages and cavalcades of gay riders. All that London holds of wealth
and fashion here disports itself in the "Season." The sight then to be
witnessed of an afternoon surpasses by far similar scenes in the Bois de
Boulogne of Paris, the Corso of Rome, or the Prater of Vienna. No other
capital of Europe is able to furnish so large a number of spirited horses, of
splendid equipages, gaily attired, beautiful women and expert horsemen.

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KENSINGTON GARDENS.

Kensington* Gardens are noted for their fine old trees. The beech, a
rare tree in our parks, here flourishes exceedingly; the noble Spanish chest-
nut grows to a mighty size, and many other trees, both indigenous and exotic,
may here be seen at their best. Perhaps the most attractive part of the
gardens is that which stretches along the eastern side of the Serpentine to
the Italian Garden, with fountains that rarely play. The glimpses occasion-
ally to be obtained here cannot easily be matched for picturesqueness else-
where in London. Looking up a broad avenue across the Serpentine, an
unpretending brick structure is seen afar. This is Kensington Palace, in
which Queen Victoria was bom, and where she held her first Council.

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But though trees and secluded walks constitute the great feature of the
gardens, it is not without other attractions deserving the attention of the
visitor. The tropical plants which line the Long Flower Walk convey a
lesson in botany in the most pleasant way ; and the magnificent beds of
Rhododendrons, near the southern bank of the Serpentine, attract crowds
of sightseers in autumn, when they are in blossom. The view down one of
the avenues terminates with the Memorial to the late Prince Consort. The
gilded statue of the Prince is placed beneath an elaborately decorated
canopy, and is surrounded hy splendid statuary, the work o\ English artists.

SOUTH KENSINGTON.

The number of mu ;eums which have been built upon a portion of the
land purchased with the surplus funds derived from the Exhibition of 1851
has spread the fame of South Kensington into every civilized quarter of the
globe. It is one of the merits of the Undergronnd Railway that by its stations
at South Kensington and Gloucester Road it has brought these museums
and the Royal Albert Hall within the reach of all, and Jo have silenced the
complaints as to their remoteness.

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South Kensington.

The collections brought together at South Kensington already fill a huge
buildinc'-. They are of the most varied kind, including specimens of
ornamental art in all its branches, besides a well stocked library of
reference, and an educational collection of great value. Many of the
articles exhibited are real, others are careful imitations ; and so varied is
their nature that a person not able to find something to interest him must
be difficult to please indeed. Glass and earthenware, articles of dress and
of personal ornament, musical instrunients, and in fact every conceivable
object in the production of which Art has been, or is supposed to have
been, the presiding genius, has found a place here; and there is hardly a

ROYAL ALBERT HALL.

country or an epoch which is not represented. But the gem of the entire
collection is the set of marvellous Cartoons which Raphael executed for
Pope Leo X. Exhibition Road separates the Museum, just described, from
the somewhat straggling Exhibition Galleries, which surround the garden
of the Horticultural Society. On an upper floor the National Portrait Gallery,
a collection containing many works of art, has found a lodgment, whilst a
National Training School of Cookery, and a Royal School of Art Needle-
work, have been accommodated in other parts of this extensive building.

On the north these galleries are connected with the Royal Albert Hall,
an imposing edifice, erected on the pattern of a Roman amphitheatre, but
covered with a roof much admired for its construction. It affords accom-
modation for 5266 auditors, and 1000 performers, and the organ placed
within it is the largest in the world. All the collections at South Kensington
are open free on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.,
but on other days the Museum closes at 4, 5, or 6 p.m, a fee of 6^. being
charc;ed for admission.

ST. JAMES'S PARK.

This is the oldest London Park. It was first enclosed by Henry VIII.,
then laid out by Le Notre, the famous French landscape gardener, for
Charles I., and finally remodelled, as we see it now, by Nash, in the
beginning of this century. It is small, but in beauty it yields not to any of
the larger Parks. One of its finest features is a sheet of ornamental water,
upon which the aquatic fowl of every kind, bred by the Ornithological
Society, disport themselves, affording considerable amusement to the
public.

The Park abounds in fine views, the lofty trees forming a most appro-
priate fore.cjround, imparting an air of picturesqueness even to buildings

M lAl.ACL.

which, as works of arcliitecture, would hardly attract attention. Standing
upon the bridge which spans the lake, we obtain a fine view of Ik'CKiNi;-
HAM Pal.\ce, the residence of Her Majesty when she honours London with
her presence. Looking in the opposite direction, the eye embraces the
noble pile of the new Government Office, and ranges thence to the (juaint
turret surmounting the Horse Guards, and the two monumental columns,
one surmounted by a statue of Lord Nelson, whose memory will endure as
long as England is proud of her naval supremacy, the other dedicated to
the Duke of York. On a clear day a glimpse may even be obtained of the
dome of St. Paul's if we take a station in the western portion of the Park. A
broad avenue of elm, lime, and plane trees, known as the Mall, from a game
at ball formerly played there, separates the inner enclosure of the Park from
St. James's Pal.\ce, still the official abode of the Court of England, though
used now only on rare occasions of state, and from Marluorough House,
the residence of the Prince of Wales.

St. James's Park Station is the most convenient point for the places here
*) described. §

THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT.

The new Houses of Parliament have furnished art critics with a fertile
subject for discussion : eulogized by some as a monument worthy of the
nineteenth century, they are as unhesitatingly condemned by others as a
mere piece of imitative architecture, altogether void of that thought and
consideration for the fitness of things with which the architects of a bygone
age are credited. The constructive skill of our modern architects and
engineers is conceded, but they are denied the creative genius which
enabled their predecessors to build for all time. Some truth there may be
in this harsh criticism, yet what unbiassed beholder can be blind to the
beauties of this seat of our national Parliament?

'^~' ^<>) HOUSES OF PAWUti»MEMT TCjg ^^^'

The exterior of the Palace is decorated with a lavish profusion of statues
and armorial bearings. The interior — always excepting the Courts, which
are mean to shabbiness — are equally rich, the painter's brush laving freely
been called into requisition to supplement the sculptor's chisel. Yet amon st
all these hundreds of statues and pictures the visitor will search in vain for
a memorial to Simon de Montfort, the true founder of our modern repre-
sentative system, nor has Oliver Cromwell been granted a place amongst
the rulers of England. Whilst Parliament is in Session, visitors will always
be able to penetrate as far as the lofty Central Hall, whence corridors lead
in opposite directions to the House of Commons and the House of Peers.
On Saturdays, fortified with an order procurable at the Lord Great Cham-
berlain's office, at the back of the Victoria Tower, they may pursue the
route taken by her Majesty when opening Parliament, and explore other
parts of this truly national Palace.

Westminster Bridge Station is most convenient for the visitor to the
Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

^A/'ESTMINSTER ABBEY.

Westminster Abbey must always be an object of veneration to English-
men, not only as the place where all our kings and queens were crowned, from
Edward the Confessor to Victoria, and where many of them are buried, but
also as one of the architectural glories of the country. The Cloisters give
access to the renovated Chapter House, in which the British Parliament sat
for nearly two hundred years, and which was aftenvards used as a repository
for public records. When first you enter the Abbey Church, surrender your-
self completely to the impression made by the grandeur and harmony of its
proportions. Gaze up the lofty pillars, to the elegant triforium, one of the
glories of the Abbey, the clerestory above, and the ribbed vault, forming the

roof. Then pass the screen of the Choir — modern work by lilore, but quite
in the spirit of the ancient builders of the church ; loiter in the transept,
and penetr e the ambulatory behind the Altar. You are now close to
\he oldest tombs. Look aloft to the chantry of Henry V., an exquisite speci-
uien of architecture, then pass through a gloomy porch into Henry VH.'s
chapel. A blaze of light and decoration then bursts upon you. Arches of
fairy-like grace support the fretted vault, " pendant by subtle magic," a
marvel of constructive skill. The aisles of this chapel contain the monu-
mental tombs of Mary Queen of Scots, and of her rival, Queen Elizabeth.
Exquisitely beautiful is the elaborately panelled and pinnacled exterior of
Henry VH.'s chapel, which replaces an older structure dedicated to the
Virgin Mary. The porch, which for its extreme splendour was known as
"Solomon's," is being restored to its pristine beauty. As to the monuments
scattered throughout the .\bbey, they are interesting as illustrating the history
of British sculpture for five or six centuries. In Poets' Corner lie Chaucer,
the fother of English poetry, and Spenser, the gifted author of the " Faerie
Queen." 25 c J

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WESTMINSTER.

On emerging out of the Underground Station at Westminster Bridge
there bursts upon us some of the finest architectural scenery to be seen in
London. Facing us is the stately Clock Tower of Westminster Palace. Ifi
front we have the gable of the venerable Hall, so skilfully incorporated with
the modern building, whilst above the ornate ridges of the roofs peep out
the elegant Central Tower, and the imposing Victoria Tower with its gigantic
flag-staff. St. Margaret's partly conceals Westminster Abbey, its puny size
setting off to great advantage the vast proportions of its more famous neigh-
bour. Westminster Hospital hides the somewhat gaudy edifice known
as the Royal Aquarium, but beyond it the eye may range along Victoria

Street as far as the lofty buildings near Victoria Station, And if we look
eastward, over Westminster Bridge, we feel impressed by the immensity
of space, for the houses of Lambeth lie far beneath our horizon, and only
the pinnacles of St. Thomas's Hospital pierce the sky-line.

Iri;esistible curiosity impels us to direct our steps towards the bridge,
and the prospect from its centre amply repays the exertion. The pavilions
of St, Thomas's Hospital rise boldly above the Albert Embankment,
which extends to old Lambeth Palace, the residence of the Archbishop
of Canterbury. Further away still rises the ornamental, poison-vomiting
chimney of one of the many potteries which give that part of London an
unenviable notoriety. Turning back, the huge river front of the Houses
of Parliament attracts the eye. It is somewhat monotonous, no doubt, but
nevertheless a glorious sight in the early morning when its buttresses and
pinnacles are thrown into relief by the new-born sun.

Our readers need hardly be reminded that across the bridge they will
find " trams " to convey them to every part of transpontine London.

THE NATIONAL GALLERY.

The best means of reaching the National Gallery is to take the train to
Portland Road Station, and to proceed thence to Piccadilly Circus by the
Metropolitan Railway Company's special omnibus.

The building which was erected for and still contains our national col-
lection of pictures is situated on the north side of Trafalgar Square, occupying
the vantage ground of that site which Sir Robert Peel with dubious accuracy
defined as the finest in Europe.

With a rough and not inaccurate humour, the architecture of our National
Gallery has been called the "pepper castors." The building was erected
while the classic style was in full force, and the grotesquerie of the past was

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niade to do duty in our midst with a happy disregard for appearances ; the
authorities of the National Gallery have considered how it was possible to
render the walls useful for the purposes of teaching, and how a galler}-
worthy our nation could be gathered together without wasting time in
disputing how far the outside was worthy the contents. In thus acting
they have shown a wise discretion, for the uncertainties connected with
building are always sufficiently abundant.

What are the essential characteristics of our National Gallery, and in
what sense is it superior to the better known galleries of Europe ? The
answers are, It is not too large, it is carefully grouped, and it contains
examples of modern painting that have neither rivals nor equals.

The collection of Turner's paintings is not only unicjuc, but the pictures
are productions of one whose works will become better appreciated as
years roll by. It is not too much to say that Turner is not only the most
;nagnificent landscape painter the world has produced ; but to this may be
Added the fact that the higher excellences of his work belong to the future

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The National Gallery.

even more distinctly than to the present. One of the most prominent features
in all Turner's work is its nobility and grandeur ; these ciualities remain the
same whether the subject treated be mountain, ocean, or sunset. It is these
qualities that make themselves felt in "The Fighting Tem^raire," "Childe
Harold's Pilgrimage," and "The Building of Carthage." The first two have
been engraved and are printed among our illustrations. In the Gallery the
last is placed side by side with "The Embarkation of St. Ursula," by Claude,
for the purpose of instituting comparison between the two great artists, and
was left by the painter for that purpose. The subject chosen by Turner is
as nearly as possible the same as that treated by Claude, and tends to render
the comparison more complete. What then is the difference in the work of

CHILDE HAROLD'S PILGRIMAGE. — TURNER.

the two men ? In the landscape by Claude you have the ItaHan purity of
atmosphere, the briUiant sunlight, the glow of colour, and the careful, finished
grouping ; yet the whole picture is strikingly unreal and artificial to modern
tastes. Turn to its companion picture and note its teaching. There is that
wondrous atmosphere in delineating which Turner was so perfect a master, a
glowing sunlight and a quivering sea. The figures are alive, and over all and
above all is the stamp of nature. Essentially beautiful, it is at the same time
profoundly poetic. The plants that cling round the columns or burst the
stones asunder to droop in rich luxuriance, tell at once of the crumbling
power of time and the eternal growth of nature : ever dying yet ever young.
In the picture of " The Fighting Temdraire " the same general qualities are
apparent. The story goes that Turner being one day on the river, saw the
old war ship being towed up by a small tug on its way to the breaking up
yard. The subject impressed him strongly, and the contrast between the
noble lines of the old frigate and the puffing vigour of the small river steamer
come out with vivid distinctness in the picture itself. In this, as in all his

TJie N^ational Gallery

best pictures, there is the same luminous atmosphere, the same marvellous
distance. Each touch is put on with perfect master)' and perfect knowledge.
Few things are more conspicuously clear than the changes which are
creeping over the general conditions ot art. We are beginning to recognize
that all true art must be the representation of the age to which it belongs.
1'he Greek art drev/ its insi)iration from the conditions of its own civilization
and its own race. It spoke that which it felt. The same of the art of the
middle ages : it was steeped in an atmosphere of religious thought and
religious aspiration. It is not too much to say that we are outliving both
the one and the other. In Greek art all the more celebrated and distinctive

\IION OF ST. I'RSfl.A. — CLAUDE.

features were represented by the nude ; a condition of life with which they
were largely familiar, and, as such, had no touch of immodesty. The case
is different with ourselves, and it is very apparent that the day is fast
approaching when nude subjects will be practically things of the past.
The same may be said in a different sense of the art of the middle ages :
it deals with thoughts, aspirations, and ideas which are practically extinct
among ourselves. Few artists would now venture to embody the features
of the Almiglity, from a sense of irreverence in the subject itself Our
conception of space, and the attributes of tlie Creator, is so immensely
enlarged, that we are no longer dealing wiih the same thoughts. These
influences will necessarily modify the art of the future, and it is not too
much to anticipate that the subjects will be drawn from more purely every-
day sources. Every-day life has in its development those phases which form
the basis of all true art. To seize these points and to portray them so as

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The National Gallery.

to sway the sympathies ot the cultivated and uncultivated alike, constitutes
the true work of genius.

The same general reasoning will apply to the two landscapes of Turner,
viz., "Childe Harold's rilgrimagc" and "The Fighting Tcmeraire;" they are
generically similar yet broadly distinct. They both possess the same subtle
distance, the same play of light, the same tender rendering of atmospheric
effect. The artist and his power appear equally in both cases, but the con-
ditions under which they have been produced are widely dissimilar. In
"Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" we have a masterly conception of an ideal

THE FIGHTING t£m£RAIRE. — TURNER.

landscape, filled to the last touch with the sentiment and thought of Byron's
great work. An artist translating an artist. In "The Fighting Temeraire "
we have Turner speaking for himself through the pregnant facts of every-
day life. At first sight few things could seem less calculated to make a
great picture than a tug boat at work on the Thames. It is only when
we catch the sentiment by the aid of the grand power of the artist that the
teaching comes thoroughly home. A great artist feels as well as draws,
and it is the power of rendering that which he feels which constitutes his
special excellence. The mere technicalities of light and shade, colour,
grouping, and accuracy of form, are capable of being brought within the
range of most of us, but to appear with power as an artist a man must not
only be educated technically but have a desire to give utterance to that
sentiment which he feels strongly. The difference of temperaments, thoughts,
and hopes in men, constitutes the substratum out of which is evolved the
individuality of their work.

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The National Gallery.

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The subjoined engraving is from one of Gainsborough's landscapes, and
is a good example of the early English school. Gainsborough has the
merit of being one of the earliest students of nature, and one who was con-
tent to paint that which he saw. The present picture is simple in its
accessories, quaint in its beauty, and of great general excellence. It has
required some time to bring this artist's work to its due position, and it is
not a little singular that during the height of his popularity as a portrait
painter his landscapes were practically unsaleable. He was the pioneer of

THE WATERING-l'LACE. — GAINSBUKOUGII.

a new teaching, and the fashionable public of that day were still under the
influence of the affectation of the classic school.

In com[)aring the two pictures of Gainsborough and Turner as they face
one another on the opposing pages, the difference in the character of their
work comes out with great distinctness. Both i)ictures are clothed in
evening light, which in '' The Watering-Place " gives a subdued and tranquil
softness to all around. It is the hour of rest unbroken by hurry or bustle.
In the picture of Turner, the glow of light is flung across the waters or
leaps from cloud to cloud, until every point on the canvas is more or less
distinctly under its influence. Is not this difference a growth in art itself?
Is there not a higher conception of the capacity of light and a keener
recognition of the value it can produce? It would seem as though Turner
felt some such idea, for his later works manifest a daring abandon and
almost a wild appreciation of atmospheric effect, and the boundless value of
sunlight and colour.

The National Gallery.

One of the gems of English landscape painting is "The Valley Farm"
by John Constable. The whole picture is faithful to nature, is elaborated
with great care, and manifests large and warm appreciation of English home
life. No man could paint it as this picture is painted without sympathy.
How thoroughly the particular spot appealed to Constable himself is best
told in his own words — " I love every stile, and stump, and lane in the
village : so long as I am able to hold a brush I shall never cease to paint
them." This is the feeling to create the power to do good and faithful

THE VALLEV FARM. — CONSTABLE.

work, and the result is apparent in the landscape itself. Let any one look
at the trees in the foreground as they droop over the water or point their
branches to the sky. They are real trees painted from the life. The whole
picture is a village pastoral speaking of comfort, beauty, and home. The
accessories are simple enough, but they grow into power by the truth and
feeling with which they are depicted. No man can paint pictures like this
unless he knows and loves the scene and its surroundings. This was the
case with Constable, as his own words testif}'.

The National Gallery.

It has often been mentioned that the more distinctive qualities of men of
genius can be traced back to their mother's influence. This would appear
to be true with regard to Gainsborough. His mother had a strongly de-
veloped taste for and considerable skill in flower painting. Was not the
subtle appreciation of colour so conspicuous throughout this artist's work
thus inherited ? It may be pointed out that no more splendid example of
colour power can be named than the celebrated " Blue Boy," and the same
qualities are to be noted in this portrait.

MRS. SIDDONS. — GAlNSUOKOt l^ll.

Among the gems of our National Collection may be ranked, so far as
portraits are concerned, that of the celebrated Mrs. Siddons. The
subject was admirable, and it has been splendidly rendered. In Gains-
borough's portraits there is a tone of refinement which gives character and
dignity to the portrait. This is conspicuously so in the present rase. The
face is not only physically beautiful, but it is full of intellectual force and
sensitive refinement. This appreciation of thoroughbred qu.nlitics, which is
so markedly present throughout all Gainsborough's portraits, lends to them
a charm which places the painter in the front rank of portrait painters.

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The National Gallery.

It would appear to have been a custom among great painters to paint
their own portraits. In this there were some conveniences and more dis-
advantages. This habit is now dying out, and our most eminent artists are
content to pass down to posterity as depicted by the skill of their brother
artists. In the case of Turner the only portrait extant is the one painted
by himself whilst a very young man, and now in the National Gallery. In
the engraving it is the top portrait. The face bears the stamp of great
nervous sensibility and indicates considerible mental power. The same

general criticism may be passed on that oi Andrea del Sarto, the portrait
on the left hand ; whilst on the right we have Hogarth, the hard-headed
scathing satirist. In all these then it is probable we have trustworthy repre-
sentations of the men ; but it is quite possible that had they been painted
by other hands we should have gained a fuller insight into their mental
idiosyncrasies. It may be said as a whole, that no man can properly depict
himself; the very fact of having to watch his own reflection must of necessity
change the character of the expression. This comes out very conspicuously
in the case of Rembrandt's own portrait, twice painted by himself, both of
which are now in the National Gallery. In this case it may be said without
undue depreciation that the portrait does not render to us the man. So
far as mere technical skill is concerned the portrait is admirably painted,
but it gives the feeling that the sitter had been dressed up for the occasion.

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TIic National Gallery

As mere outward f;i,csimiles of his face they are doubtless true enough, as is
showTi by the resemblance they bear to each other, but in the higher sense
of portraiture they aj7i:)ear singularly deficient. The true essence of a por-
trait is the portrayal of th^ character equally with the features. In this
respect it is difficult to believe that any one can properly paint his own
portrait. The i)ortrait of the woman placed side by side with his own is
believed to be that of his own mother. It :s a brave face, full of character,
and splendidly rendered. As a rule the same may be said of all portraits
painted by Rembrandt.

The concentrated force by which Rembrandt's pictures are characterized

KJiMKK^VNDT.

AN OLD LADV. — KE.MKRANUT.

come out very vividly in his life. On the death of his wife he wrote to his
sister thus — " My wife is dead. My son is travelling. I am alone. — Paul
Rembrandt." No waste of words here, and no lack of meaning. The
same is true of his painting. It is intense, decisive, and real : his portraits
are the portraits of living men and women whose lives are written in the
faces he has left for our criticism. He softened nothing and added nothing.
What they were that they are, for our perusal, — clear, living, and powerfully
realistic. This very singleness gives dignity, and the rough burgher faces
glow with a life that is altogether their own. They arc dramatic from their
intense individuality.

There is another portrait by Rembrandt in the Gallery of great excel-
lence ; it is that of a Jewish Rabbi. The picture of " The Woman taken in
Adultery " is also worthy of attention from its vivid concentration of light
on the central group of figures : a mode of working very characteristic of
the artist.

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The National Galleiy.

The tliree following engravings are each representative of a special phase
of religious teaching. The first is the natural and direct language of prayer :
the second is the appeal to the intellectual subtlety of symbolism in its most
delicate and artistic aspect : whilst the third is the emotional impulse, roused
by the dramatic force of death. These three embodiments represent the
changing phases of religious thought during a long period. The picture
immediately subjoined is one of Sir Joshua Reynolds's best known works,
and has been reproduced very frequently, without however losing its delicate
charm.

THE INFANT SAMUEL.' — REYNOLDS.

"Inflint Samuel." There are {t\\ pictures have had a wider popularity
than this. The reason is not difficult to find. It embodies the sense of
trusting obedience, peculiarly characteristic ot early childhood, and it em-
bodies it in a form at once simple, touching, and true. Quite apart from its
mere artistic excellence, the sentiment which underlies the picture appeals
to a wide and still growing public. Men who are unable to trace the subtleties
of art, can yet feel sympathy with the prayer of childhood. The sentiment

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The National Gallery.

is sound, and fn the picture well rendered. Reynolds was a great portrait
painter, and devoted special care to giving beauty and force to the eyes of
his sitters, and thus as a rule giving beauty to the face.

The principle of symbolism enters largely into the worship of the Roman
Catholic Church, and it is also present in a more or less pronounced form
in general artistic work. It must be remembered that the Romish Church
has throughout its career been a munificent patron of art, and many of the
greatest pictures that the world contains have been painted at its expense.

ST. roilX AND THE I.AMH. — .MIKII.I.O.
SYMBOLISM.

either as altar-pieces or for interior decorations of cathedrals, churches,
&c. Under these circumstances, it is ([uite natural that symbolism should
occupy a prominent position in the various paintings. In the present illus-
tration it is present in its most refined and delicate aspect. The text of
this great picture is to be found in the words, " Behold the Lamb of God,"
John i. 29. The picture itself is one of Murillo"s happiest efforts, being
full of gentle beauty and sympathetic tenderness. The sense of symbolism

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The National Gallery.

is almost lost in the great general ( jualilies of the work. One of the greatest
qualities in Murillo's pictures is the entire freedom from artificiality and the
profoundly natural character in all that he produces. They speak for them-
selves in the present engraving.

Before the introduction of printing the appeal to the great mass of the
people was of necessity made through representation. That representation
was embodied in the forms of music, painting, or miracle plays. One of
the subjects chosen, at once most solemn, most effective, and most elabo-
rated, was the crucifixion. It was wrought out with consummate skill and
unsparing labour. All that genius could accomplish, garnered up from every
quarter, and for successive centuries, was brought to bear upon this point,
and thus we have the numberless productions that relate to it. In the sub-

THE DEAD CHRIST. — FRANCESCO FRANCIA.

joined engraving we have a picture whose qualities are of the highest cha-
racter ; a subject infinitely difficult, yet treated in the present case with ad-
mirable care and taste.

The painting itself is singularly finished, chaste, and beautiful. It is death
deprived of its sting. The face and figure ot our Saviour retain all the
delicate beauty and softness of life : for it is sleep — not decay — that is
here portrayed. There are few if any pictures in Europe where this senti-
ment is so admirably and tenderly rendered.

Notice.

The National Gallery under its present rules is closed to the public for
nearly six weeks in each year from the middle of September. It is hoped
that some steps will be taken to remedy this extraordinary regulation, for it
is not too much to ask. that the public be admitted to the gallery every week-
day during the entire year.

Note. — The engravings of pictures in the National Gallery have been executed
under the care of Mr. T. SULMAN.

THE THAMES EMBANKMENT.

One of the greatest improvements of modern times, so far aa London is
concerned, is the Thames Embankment. Its construction is massive,
simple, and very noble. Near the Adelphi Steps is the far-famed Cleopatra's
Needle ; its companion now stands in the Place de la Concorde at Paris.
One of the most striking portions of the Embankment is that which includes
the Temple Gardens and the facade of Somerset House. Throughout the
whole distance the great breadth of the roadway is conspicuously effective.
This result is heightened by the trees planted along the entire route, by the
constant passage of vehicles, and the ceaseless movements on the face of
the river itself.

THAMES EMIiANKMENT.

Of suburban places to which the Metropolitan Railway affords a ready
means of access, the Royal Gardens at Kew are perhaps the most attractive.
F.ver since the gardens came into possession of the Crown, the floral wealth
of every quarter of the world has been poured into them. Every scientific
expedition despatched from England's shores since the days of Cajitain
Cook has added to this wealth, until now they stand unrivalled. The most
conspicuous objects in the adjoining Pleasure Grounds arc the Chinese
Pagoda and the Winter Garden, but more attractive are some of its quiet
nooks and corners, such as that in which Merlin's Cave is hidden.

From Kew Gardens to Richmond Park is less than two miles, and if the
excursionist proposes to visit both on the same day, he should devote the
forenoon to Richmond, as the Gardens only open at i p.m.

The view from Richmond Hill during a fine summer's morning is one of
the most beautiful in England.

LIST OF MOST REMARKABLE BUILDINGS, PALACES, &c.

-e5?(ri,

NAME.

Tower of London

Royal Mint, Tower Hill

Bank of England ...
Royal E.xchanj^e ...
Mansion House

Cxuildhall

St. Paul's Cathedral
The Monument
British Museum ...
Royal Albert Hall...
South Kensington Museum

Buckingham Palace

St. James's Palace, Pall Mall

National Gallery ...

Houses of Parliament

Westminster Abbey

OPEN to the PUBLIC-

REMARKS.

lO.O a.m
9.0 a.m

S Daily, by ticket obtain-
t able at entrance gate
j By order, obtainable at
I the Master's office.
Daily

State Rooms

Daily'

Small fee.

Daily

Daily ..'.

By order, to be obtained
at the Lord Chamber-
lain's office

Mondays, Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, and Sa-
turdays

{Saturdays, by order from
the Lord Chamber-
lain's office

.See
Page

13
13

"72

23
23

TRAFFIC ARRANGEMENTS.

Trains from Aldgate run through the Stations as follows: —

ALDGATE.
BISHOPSGATE.
MOORGATE STREET.
ALDERSGATE STREET.
FARRINGDON STREET.
KING'S CROSS.
GOWER STREET.
PORTLAND ROAD.
BAKER STREET.
EDGWARE ROAD.

BRANCH TO VICTORIA, BRANCH TO KENSINGTON,

WESTMINSTER, AND \ HAMMERSMITH, KEW, AND

MANSION HOUSE. \ RICHMOND.

PRAED STREET.

QUEEN'S ROAD.

NOTTING HILL GATE.

HIGH STREET, KENSINGTON.

GLOUCESTER ROAD.

SOUTH KENSINGTON.

SLOANE SOUARE.

VICTORIA."^

ST. JAMES'S PARK.

WESTMINSTER.

CHARING CROSS.

TEMPLE.

BLACKFRIARS.

MANSION HOUSE.

Note. — Each place of public interest has the name of the Station attached to the
description of it, and its position can thus be readily found by the above list.

BISHOP'S ROAD.
ROYAL OAK.
WESTBOURNE PARK.
NOTTING HILL.
ijimction for Uxbridge Road and
Addisott Road, Kensington)
SHEPHERD'S BUSH.
HAMMERSMITH.
KEW GARDENS.
RICHMOND.

-f^^-1

■^

THE CONTINEiNT V/A HARWICH.

ROTTERDAM.

Where shall we spend our Holidays? Such is the question oftentimes
asked as the summer season approaches. If one has never seen the North
of Europe and the Rhine, there is no outing so cheap, and no change so
entire, as that offered by the Great Eastern route via Harwich. It places
the Continent and its thousand charms within reach of the great multitude ;
for a man may be at work in the City all day, and yet breakfast next morn-
ing at Rotterdam, amid new life, new scenes, and a new atmosphere. In
seeking change, the first essential is that it shall be thorough : the mere
change from London to the sea-side is small in its effects, in comparison
with the change that is produced by passing from English towns to Conti-
nental cities. In our life, health is so bound up with mental stimulus,
that a great point is gained when a hard worker finds himself amid scenes
and experiences so new, that he must get out of his old groove, whether
he will or no. In this sense, Continental travel is a great health preserver:
it gives us fresh life by giving to us fresh thought.

The Great Eastern Railway Company have done wisely : they have
recognized that permanent success is only to be found by the support of
the masses. Their route to the Continent is swift, easy, and economical.
Any one who will walk down of an evening to the Liverpool Street Station
a few minutes before the advertised time, will find the train at the plat-
form, steam up; the porters hurrying to and fro; passengers excited, darting
from side to side ; guards, looking cool and wise, carefully consulting their
serviceable chronometers, and, punctual as the clock, the train moves
steadily out of the station at its appointed hour, and proceeds at express
speed to Harwich, which it reaches in two hours. The train runs alongside
the steamboat, which lies at the berth in full readiness to start. Within a
quarter of an hour after the arrival of the train, the luggage is shipped ; the
passengers on board ; and the boat is steaming steadily out to its destina-
tion. On a soft summer night there are few trips more delightful or more
invigorating. As the night steals swiftly away, the shores of Old England
become lost on the waste of waters, and as early morning wakes in its glory,
the low shores of Holland rise slightly above the liorizon. To a man wlio
has for months been cooped up in a close office or warehouse, the mere
sea voyage is a great luxury. The strong sea air gives fresh vigour to
pulses often too excited to do their work healthfully, and a traveller who
commences his holiday by a trip across to Rotterdam finds he has imbibed

3^ ^5^^

ri^

RottercCam.

fresh strength at the outset. Sea an- is proverbial for its braeing powers,
and there is no air so bracing as tliat which sweeps across the Northern Sea.
It may be as well to note that there are two routes to the Continent through
the Great Eastern Railway, — one by way of Rotterdam, the boats of which
start every evening, Sundays excepted ; the other by way of Antwerp, the
boats for whicli start four times a week. The steamers are among the swiftest,
most comfortable, and commodious of any running between England and the
Continent. From time to time new vessels are added to the Company's
fleet, each being an improvement on its predecessors. It is advisable in all
cases that intending tourists should obtain a Continental Time Table of
the Great Eastern Railway, price one penny, as it affords information as to

ROTTERDAM.

routes, times of starting, prices, duration of tickets, &c., &c., which may
prove of great importance in the course of a journey. The direct route by
way of Rotterdam is for Holland, Germany, and the Rhine, Austria,
Switzerland, and Italy; while the direct route by way of Antwerp is for
Brussels, Cologne, and the Rhine, France, Switzerland, &c. By the
Harwich route Cologne is reached, via Rotterdam, in the afternoon of the
day after leaving London. Passengers, via Antwerp, arrive in Brussels before
noon the day after leaving London, and Switzerland the following morning.
The entry into the river Maas, some eighteen or twenty miles below Rotter-
dam, is not specially inviting, though far away up to the left may be seen
Scheveningen, the fashionable watering-place of Holland, which is thronged
during the season by visitors from the Hague. As the boat sweeps up the
river, there may be noted a long breakwater, formed for the purpose of
hindering the sand from accumulating at its mouth. On the right stands
up the church tower of Brielle, whilst immediately to the left is the engineer-
ing and telegraph settlement. As the boat passes onward, the low flat
banks, the fresh green herbage, the quiet-looking houses dotted here and

The Continent via Harwich.

there, and a certain trim exactness, give a look of comfort and homeness to
the scene. Farther up the river comes the world-known Schiedam factor}-,
celebrated for the production of the spirit that bears its name.

A sudden turn, and Rotterdam is reached. A wonderfully clean4ooking
place : a long row of well-built houses, with pointed gable roofs and ancient
outlines. Beyond these there are few picturesque details to be m«.t with.
Variety may however be found, for, according to all accounts, the porters at
Rotterdam are quite an institution, — they beat tliose of Calais. Any half-
dozen will pounce upon your luggage, cut it up into detail amongst them-
selves, even down to a hat-box, and when not perfectl}- satisfied, echo the
phrase " English gentleman," with a tone that would bring down the house.
Beware of these, or, if you use one, make him take a sufficient quantity of
luggage to be worth while paying for his services.

The Bath Hotel, at Rotterdam, is situate on the Boompjies, the
pleasantest part of the town ; the nicest rooms are those facing the quay.
Tea, not coftee, is the general beverage in Holland, and it is wise to fall
in with the universal habit, as you thereby get better attention and value for
your money. Every town in Europe has its curious legend or noted house.
Cologne has its record of the Ten Thousand Virgins ; Rotterdam has its
House of the Thousand Terrors. It appears that in 1572, when the Spaniards
by stratagem entered the town and treacherously massacred its inhabitants,
a thousand of the people, so says the story, took refuge in this house. The\-
put up the shutters, barred the entrance, and killing a kid, let the blood run
out under the doorway. The Spaniards seeing the red stream, concluded
the inmates had already been dispatched, and passed by. Thus they were
saved, and thus the reputation of this old house.

There are not many points of conspicuous interest in or near Rotterdam;
but the mere newness of scene, the mere change from the familiar phases
of English life to those which are broadly dift'erent, is in itself a charm.
The people of Rotterdam lay great stress on their organ ; but it is probable
that we have some equally good much nearer home. Whilst at Rotter-
dam it is worth while to run over to the Hague, the Royal city of Hol-
land, and the residence of the King. It is situate about one hour's journey
by rail from Rotterdam, and is essentially different from any other town in
Holland, being in fact a small Paris planted amidst Dutch scenery. At the
Hague there is a good picture gallery, which is rich in the possession of
the celebrated picture, " Paul Potter's Bull ; " it has also Rembrandt's
lenowned but unpleasant picture " The Dissecting Lesson." In visiting
the Hague from Rotterdam, it is well to remember that the cost of return
tickets is nearly the same as that charged for a single fare. Scheveningen
is reached in twenty minutes from the Hague.

Whilst at Rotterdam the tourist ought to see Amsterdam. It is the largest
town in Holland, and built in the shape of a horseshoe. The picture gallery will
jepay a visit, and contains Rembrandt's masterpiece, " The Night Watch."
The collection of etchings is also very choice, more especially in connection
with Rembrandt and Albert Durer, and is said to be superior to that of our

i$^

Antwerp,

own British Museum. In the town there are a number of other collections,
and speaking generally Amsterdam is rich in art treasures.

Near Amsterdam is Haarlem, celebrated for its organ, which is said to
be the finest in the world. Haarlem has an historic reputation on account
of its gallant defence at the time of the Spanish invasion. The town was
at length taken by the aid of famine, but the fierce courage of its inhabitants
forms one of the most splendid episodes in Dutch history.

ANTWERP,

ANTWERP.

Antwerp is celebrated for the great cathedral, and its altar-pieces by
Rubens. In the city gallery there is also a large collection of pictures,
many of them possessing great merit. When at Antwerp no traveller
should omit to visit the private gallery of Nottebohm, which is courteously
open to view. There is no charge for admission ; a gratuity is, however,
usually given to the attendant. In this gallery, small though it is, there are
a large number of first-class pictures. It is not too much to say that it is
rare to find a private collection characterized with such conspicuous know-
ledge and such unequivocal good taste,

Brussels is about an hour's run by rail, and when a traveller has once
reached this miniature reproduction of Paris, he is fairly on the high road of
Europe. A visit to Brussels would scarcely be complete without a view of
the field of Waterloo ; and those who take an interest in studying the field
of battle will do well to go to the station, Braine L'AUeud, and walk over the
ground. No other mode will allow a visitor so thoroughly to comprehend
the splendid position taken up by Wellington. From Brussels to Cologne
will take but a few hours, and travelling by rail in Belgium is very cheap,

The Conti)icnt via IlariuicJi.

■^

There are a few points in connection with travelUng on the Continent
which it is worth while to keep in mind. The first is, travel with as little
luggage as possible, compatible with comfort ; it is at once more economical,
less troublesome, and more handy. Secondly, change your money into that
of the countrjan which you purpose travelling, at a first-class money changer's;
it will be found at once safer and better. Circular notes are the most useful
in the case of a lengthened absence from England, and can be obtained at
any of the large London banks.

EHRENBKKITSTEIN.

THE RHINE.

For those tourists who are desirous of seeing the magnificent scenery of
the Rhine, the beauty of which is so justly famed, we would suggest the
following itinerary.

Take the train from Rotterdam to Cologne, and devote one or two days
to this picturesque old city. The cathedral, naturally the first object of
attraction, was commenced in 114S, and completed in iSSo ; it is un-
doubtedly the most splendid and perfect specimen of Gothic architecture
in the world. The colossal proportions and perfect symmetry inspire the
beholder with feelings of admiration and astonishment. How impressive
the interior, with " its solemn stillness, and the splendour of its endless aisles,
its wondrous windows, its old worn floors and springing arches glowing with
soft tints where the changed sunlight falls, its silent chapels in the shadowy
choir, its sacred relics and its gleaming gems." The tradition ascribing the
design to the devil in exchange for the architect's soul is well told in some

4.5

■^^

The Rhine.

of the local guide books. To appreciate the full beauty of the structure, it
is necessary to walk round the square in which it is situated.

The cathedral is, however, not by any means the only sacred edifice
worthy of a visit, many of the churches having some characteristic entitling
them to consideration. The church of St. Martin, for instance, is the
finest specimen of the Romanesque in Germany; St. Peter's contains the
celebrated picture of the " Crucifixion of St. Peter," by Rubens. This
splendid painting has, like numbers of its compeers, undergone numerous
vicissitudes, having been cut out of its frame and secreted during the French
invasion, and a copy substituted. This copy is now shown, framed at the
back, and serves to point the superiority of the original, which is terribly
realistic. Enormous sums of money have been offered from time to time
for this painting, notably by the Emperor of Russia, but hitherto the com-
paratively poor monks, to whose community it belongs, have declined to
part with their treasure. Rubens is said to have been bom in the
Sternengasse. Those who can spare the time should not omit to visit the
Dechen Grotto near Iserlohn, which was accidentally discovered in 1868.
The stalactites formed by the constant dropping of water from the roof are
of astonishing beauty.

As the picturesque scenery of the Rhine does not begin at Cologne,
the traveller should take the train as far as Konigswinter. It is true
that the beauty of the Rhine is usually supposed to begin at Bonn and
extend as far as Mayence, but the great scenery of the Rhine actually com-
mences at this town, which is most charmingly situated at the foot of the
"castled crag of Drachenfels," the nearest of the seven mountains to the
river. Half an hour's walk from the bank of the stream will take the
tourist to the summit of this mountain, whence one of the loveliest views to
be found on the whole course of the Rhine may be obtained.

From Konigswinter the steamer should be utilized, as the beginning of
that long succession of ruined castles and vine-clad slopes, which give to
Rhenish scenery its peculiar and unique charm, has now been reached.

The next excursion centre is Remagen on the right bank, whence the
beautiful valley of the Ahr is easily reached. At Ahrweiler in the neigh-
bourhood is the source of the ApoUinaris spring, which yields a tonic water
now very popular in England. On approaching the next town of importance,
Coblenz, the steamer passes Neuendorf, where those enormous rafts are
formed which, like floating villages, are continually being met with, and
form such a very characteristic feature in Rhenish scenery.

Coblenz, situated on the left bank, is a town of great antiquity, called
by the Romans " Confluentia." The beautiful Rhine Anlagcn extend for
some distance along the bank. Hood lived at Coblenz for some years,
and it was here he wrote his " Up the Rhine." Facing Coblenz, on the
right bank, is the rocky fortress of Ehrenbreitstein, the vast extent and
great strength of which is well shown by the subjoined engraving. Upwards
of ^1,800,000 have been expended upon this fortress.

The Cont'niail via /fancich.

Stolzenfcls Castle, near Coblenz, perfectly kept and occuined occasionally
by the Prussian Royal Family, was visited by Queen Victoria in 1845.

The river Lahn, which runs through a lovely valley, enters the Rhine at
this point, and the annexed engraving represents one of the prettiest scenes
in this charming district. The limited space at our disposal will not admit
of an extended description of the many points of interest to be found
between Coblenz and Mayence ; we must therefore content ourselves by
selecting the most noteworthy.

On the left bank, opposite Salzig, note the ruins of the castles of
Sternberg and Liebenstein, formerly the strongholds of two brothers,
Conrad and Heinrich, who became enamoured of their beautiful foster-

OBEKLAHNSTEIN.

sister, Hildegarde. Heinrich with rare self-denial went to the Crusades,
and left his brother to win the prize. Circumstances occurring to postpone
their marriage, Conrad, tired of inactivity, followed his brother to the wars,
leaving Hildegarde alone and in sorrow at Liebenstein. In a short time
Conrad returned with a lovely Grecian bride, and inhabited Sternberg.
On Heinrich's return shortly afterwards, he, on learning how matters stood,
determined to revenge his foster-sisters wrongs by meeting his brother in
single combat, but as they were crossing swords Hildegarde intervened and
brought about a reconciliation. She then retired to a convent, and Conrad's
foreign wife soon after proving faithless, the two brothers henceforth lived
together in retirement at Liebenstein, leaving Sternberg to its fate.

Near St. Goar, on the left bank, is the precipitous rock of Lurlei or
Lorleifelsen, with its echo repeating fifteen times, and its well-known legend
on which Wallace's opera " Lurline " is founded.

^^^

The Rhi7ie.

Farther up the river, in mid-stream, are the rocks called the Seven \'irgins.
It IS said that these rugged masses were once seven fair maidens, condemned
by the river-god for their prudery to this unenviable destiny.

Passing Assmannshausen on the left, celebrated for its fine red wine, pro-
duced from vines cultivated in the neighbourhood, in the most barren and
impossible places on the rocky sides of the mountain, we see on the right
an island, with a ruin called the Mausethurm (Mice Tower), connected with
which is the following strange tradition so beautifully given by Southey :

At a time when the inhabitants of Alayence were suffering from a severe

bingekbkuck:.

famine, their wicked and covetous old Bishop, Hatto, caused a number of
poor people to be burned in a barn, accumulated large stores of grain in
this tower, and when pressed for assistance by the starving inhabitants, took
refuge there with his immediate attendants. Tradition adds that the mice,
having been driven by hunger from their usual haunts, effected the passage
of the river, and being attracted to the tower by the presence of the grain,
succeeded in forcing an entrance, and devoured not only the grain itself,
but every living being in the tower, including the wicked old Bishop.

Riidesheim lies on the left bank, and opposite is Bingerbriick, with its
beautiful scenery, a view of which we annex, as also Johannisberg, with its
castle belonging to Prince Metternich, and its sixty-five acres ot vineyard,
producing perhaps the most highly jirized wine m the world ; thence on to
Biebrich and Mayence. From this town travellers can proceed by train
to Frankfort-on-the-Main, Heidelberg, and on to Switzerland, where the
Rigi should be visited, with its wonderful railway, saving the traveller the

^i^

Cathedrals and Places of Note.

toil and trouble of ascending the mountain. A view of this railway is
shown in the accompanying engraving. If favoured by fine weather, all
will probably agree in saying that the most delightful portion of their tour
was the time spent in ascending the Rhine, the comparatively slow speed
of the steamer enabling the eye to rest sufficiently long for appreciation
on each feature of the landscape, as it is brought into view by the nuno-
bcrless windings of the river.

ARTH-RIGI RAILWAY.

CATHEDRALS & PLACES OF NOTE.

Ls^

What is a holiday ? to many the answer would probably be change of
occupation and scenery; to some it would bring the idea of Alpine climbing,
absolute rest, or sea-side rusticity, whilst to others the charms of old cathedrals
and old-world histories would be the great value of an outing. To those
who belong to the last category the Eastern Counties offers Norwich, Ely,
and Peterboro in the way of cathedrals, Cambridge and Sandringham on
their own merits, and King's Lynn, Colchester, Bury, and Ipswich, for their
archaeological claims.

We will begin with that locality which, from its association with Royalty,
is certain to command good wishes and attention. The description ol
Sandringham is, by the courteous permission of the proprietors, reprinted
from the columns of " The World."

''iJts-

Sa ndringha m.

•^

SANDRINGHAM.

The rural home of the Heir to the Throne of Britain lies in the warm
sheltered hollow behind the range of low wooded bluffs that line the
southern margin of the Wash. From the low-lying station of Wolferton,
the road traversed by the visitor to Sandringham Hall gradually ascends
through a region, the natural bleakness and barrenness of which is slowly

SANDRINGHAM.

and reluctantly yielding before the persistent energy of taste and skill.
Close on the left rises the hoary square tower of the quaint little Sandring-
ham Church, within whose walls Prince and peasant worship together, in
the modest God's Acre surrounding which rest side by side the mortal
remains of the babe of the Blood Royal and the child of the peasant.
There is a glimpse, over the sward, and the water, and the rockwork, of
the long, picturesquely broken garden front of the Hall— a mere passing
gleam of warm red, here and there hidden in the loving embrace of the
dark green ivy ; and then, with a wide sweep, the road turns the comer of
the park, the beautiful "Norwich Gates," with their delicate ironwork
tracery, are passed, and there remains but a short drive along a bro;id
straight avenue, lined on either side by massive old trees, to the principal
entrance of the Hall.

At a glance it is apparent that Sandringham is no stately palace, where
comfort is a secondary consideration to splendour, where sumptuous suites
of apartments bear the chilling impress of being uninhabited and uninhabit-
able ; but a veritable English home, designed not for show, but to be lived

^^^

Cathedrals and Places of Note. '*

in — every detail eloquent of unostentatious taste and of refined domesticity.
The key-note to the theme of duke domion is struck on the very threshold.
In the inner wall of the vestibule above the hall door is set a tablet bearing
this inscription in old English characters : " This house was built by Albert
Edward, Prince of Wales, and Alexandra, his wife, in the year of our Lord
1870." The home savour of Sandringham begins from the very door-step,
for there is no formal entrance-hall. The vestibule is simply part and por-
tion of the great saloon, which may be called the family parlour of the
house. This noble apartment has a lofty roof of open oakwork ; its walls
are covered with pictures; and its area is almost encumbered with cosy
chairs, occasional tables, pictures on easels, musical instruments, flowers in
stands, flowers in pots, flowers in vases, and a thousand and one pretty
trifles, each one of which has an association and a history linked to it.

From the saloon opens the business-room, occupied by General Sir Wil-
liam Knollys, the Controller of the Prince's Household, and by Mr. Francis
Knollys, C.B., his Royal Highness's Private Secretary ; and in this room it
is where the Prince transacts his correspondence, gives interviews to other
than social visitors, sees his tenants on questions of improvements — for his
Royal Highness shirks none of the obligations of a landed proprietor — and
gives his personal instructions to land steward, gardener, and head keeper.
A plain room, furnished in a plain and business-like style, this apartment
has for its sole embeUishment a few portraits, among which may be men-
tioned those of Admiral Rous and Lord Napier of Magdala. On the right
of the vestibule, as one enters the house, lies the library ; a pleasant room
in blue and light oak, the shelves in which are filled with books belonging
almost exclusively to the departments of history and travels. A whole com-
partment is devoted to works on the Crimean War, another to books —
many of which are hard reading enough — on India, both British and native.
The^Greville Memoirs" are sandwiched between the "Nelson Despatches"
and the " Narrative of the Euphrates Expedition," and the " Seven Weeks'
War " is in close proximity to the " Rise of the Mahometan Power in India."
Through the equerry's room, the next of the suite, is reached the second
library, which might appropriately bear the name of the " Serapis room," for
it is full of the belongings of his Royal Highness during his voyagings in
the big troop-ship, and the familiar feathers in gold between the initials
A. E. meet the eye everywhere.

This room opens into the vestibule of the garden entrance, which by
reason of its proximity to the drawing-rooms is always used on ball nights.
From the main corridor stretching to the great staircase there open on the
right the principal reception-rooms ; but before these are reached there is
passed the Prince's private morning-room, a family room pure and simple.
The admixture of feminine and masculine tastes of which this pretty room
is, more than any other in the house, an exemplar, speaks eloquently of
lives blended in an accord of close-knit domesticity. The walls, of cool
neutral tint, are partly decorated with rare china and pottery, partly

L3^ '.

Sa ndri7icrha m .

)

panelled with crayon pictures of deer stalking episodes in the Highlands by
the most celebrated English painters of our day. A large windowed projec-
tion, which is in part a lounge, in part a boudoir, and in part a writing-room,
is half partitioned off from the rest of the apartments by a screen devoted
to the display of family photographs. A truss of tree-mignonette, with lilies
of the valley blossoming around the bushy stem, half hides the panel on
which Leighton's brush has depicted ** The Bringing the Deer Home ; ''
the spreading skin of a huge tiger shot by the Prince in India lies on a
quilt carpet of patchwork, which was a tribute of loving respect to the
Princess from the children of one of the schools which she finds time to
foster with so much personal attention.

From this room a door opens into the anteroom oi the great drawing-
room ; a pretty little apartment in French grey, having for its chief ornament
a large picture of the Emperor of Russia and the Prince driving together
in a sledge, whose three horses in a furious gallop are foreshortened with
great skill and fine effect. The principal drawing-room, like all the rooms
on this side of the house, looks out into the park, across the flower-beds,
water, and rockery, to where the antlered red deer are browsing in the beech
glades. It is a room of fine proportions, of whose walls the prevalent tint
is a pale salmon-colour ; and its fixed decorations are studiously simple,
consisting merely of a few mirrors placed panelwise, some floral mouldings,
a painted ceiling, and a single group of statuary. Madame Jerichau's
" Bathing Girls " embrace each other on a pedestal, from around the base
of which flowers and blossoming exotic shrubs rear the gleaming glories of
their bloom and the quieter hues of their foliage against the snow-pale
marble. The sweet scent of spring violets nestling among moss perfumes
the air, and there are flowers everywhere ; indeed, the whole house is a
floral bower, for the Princess is passionately fond of flowers, and literally
lives among ihem. A door-window of the drawing-room "gives" on a
small domed conservatory projecting from the garden front of the house.
En suite with the drawing-room is the dining-room, a warm-tinted, genial-
looking room, suggestive of comfort in its every item. A great bow-window
expands from the centre of its front, whence the light streams in upon
Landseer's " Mare and Foal " above the oaken sideboard. Over the fire-
place, where the logs are blazing on the wide-open hearth, is a full-length
portrait of the Prince in the blue and gold of the loth Hussars. " Unser
Fritz " and his Princess — whose well-won empire over the German heart has
never weakened her love for her native land — flank Landseer's chcf-tVivuire
on either side, and life-size portraits of the Princesses Alice and Louisa
hang on either side of the door opening from the drawing-room.

From the dining-room the way leads through a " corridor of weapons,"
where the " white arms " of all ages are arranged in glass-fronted cabinets
on the walls, to the billiard-room, whose walls are brightened by Leech's
inimitable hunting sketches, and whose three side windows, set in ivy, look
out on the Italian gardens on the site of the old fish-ponds, and so athwart

tf^^

fyts ^i^'

Cathedrals and Places of Note.

the park to the church. The annexed smoking-room is the antechamber to
the long vista of the bowling-alley, lighted both from sides and roof, with
raised seats at the upper end, whence ladies may look down on the tourna-
ment of their sc^uires. Beyond the bowling-alley is a little room over which
Macdonald reigns supreme — the gun-room, in whose glass-faced cupboards
are arranged shooting-irons in bewildering number and variety.

The impulse is to pause here in this sketchy description of the interior of
Sandringham Hall, lest thegoingfarther savour of presumptive intrusiveness.
Yet it is hard to shun a reference to that beautiful room on the same floor,
with its pale salmon-coloured and French grey walls ; its pink and lace
hangings round the deep bay of the bow-window ; its medley of old china,
photographs, water-colours, dwarf palms, flowers ; its thousand and one
pretty nick-nacks j its singing birds ; and with the indescribable, yet felt,
aJthough unseen presence of delicate and refined womanhood which per-
vades the whole of the exquisite chamber. Sandringham is the chosen
rural home of their Royal Highnesses ; they Iiave watched it grow into
beauty as their children grow up around their own hearth ; it is endeared
to them as the scene of much sweet serene happiness and of one great
trouble, the sorrow of which was mercifully turned into joy ; and in Sand-
ringham it is given to them — nor do they forego the opportunity — to do
much good in this their day and generation.

KING'S LYNN.

The mere name of the town raises a question. Why King's Lynn ? The
answer is, that it took its name from our reforming King, Henry VIH.
Formerly the place belonged to the Bishop of Norwich, and was called
Bishop's Lynn ; but when it came into the King's possession the Bishop's
title disappeared, and Royalty rose in its place : thus King's Lynn.

There are three objects of some interest at this town : one the Grey
Friars' Tower, so named from its being originally associated with a monastery
devoted to that Order. It is a lofty hexagonal pile, built in red brick and
stone, and supported on some finely-turned arches. Its motto might be
written on its face, " Behold the law of change." The South Gate, another
object of interest, might be included in the same motto. It is a mere
remnant of the old fortifications which ran round the town. It was built
during the reign of Henry VI., and it still retains the stamp of its beautiful
proportions. To many minds the point of greatest interest will probably be
the Grammar School, as being associated with Eugene Aram. He was
under master at the time he was taken prisoner and charged with the murder.
The whole story has been rendered famous by the skill and genius of Bul-
wer Lytton, and however little we may agree with the choice of the subject,
the natural interest remains nevertheless. One other relic may be noted.
Our Lady's Chapel, built in 1482, has a groined roof of great beauty: it
is composed of fan tracing springing from slender columns, and is said to be
unique in England. It is situate on the Red Mount.

:>t5-

Cathedrals and Places of Note.

CAMBRIDGE.

From the heights of Ely Cathedral ma)- be seen the wide-reaching colleges
of Cambridge, which is probably the oldest educational centre in the king-
dom. The whole of the seventeen colleges which form the University have
grown up one by one ; here under the care of a Bishop, there under the
guardianship of King or Queen, and in other cases through the munificence
of private influence ; yet amid the many modifications which have arisen
during the seven centuries of its existence, it has continuously evolved a
higher and nobler conception of education.

Among the places of interest, those which have the most claim upon the
attention of those whose time is limited are St. Peter's, Queen's, King's,
Clare, Trinity, St. John's, and Magdalen Colleges. To these may be added
the Fitzwilliam Museum, the Senate House, and the University Library.

SENATE HOUSE AND GREAT ST. MARTS CHURCH.

Nor should we omit King's College Chapel, a structure of great
beauty. The interior is very impressive, and the building as a whole may
be considered architecturally one of the principal objects of interest in
Cambridge. In connection with King's College Chapel, it is well to remem-
ber that a fair view of the colleges and town can be obtained by ascending
the staircase at the north-west corner. The various colleges have each some
special point of attraction ; thus, one is noted for its associations with great
men, another for its library, and a third from its connection with medicine
or law; but Trinity College may be taken as typically representative
of the University. It is the largest and one of the noblest foundations in
the kingdom : the old court is said to be the most sjiacious (luadrangle in
the world. Trinity is famous, not only for its size, but for the great men
who have passed through its teacliing. Among them may be noted Bacon,
Newton, Byron, and Macaulay— four names, each of which stands alone in

^^^

Cambridge.

its own walk of literature or science. In the library attached there is a fine
statue of Byron by Thorwaldsen. Here may also be seen Milton's first
sketch of " Paradise Lost." Whilst speaking of great men, it may be worth
adding that Cromwell, Pitt, Walpole, Dryden, Milton, and Coleridge, with
a host of other eminent men, all sprang from this great University. Oliver
Cromwell's name is entered in the books of Sidney Sussex College, and its
library is enriched by a bust of the Protector produced from a plaster cast
taken after Cromwell's death. Here also is the celebrated crayon sketch,
by Cooper, of the same great man. Christ College is famous for its mul-
berry-tree, said to have been planted by Milton, who was a student there.
Though so old, the tree is very vigorous and produces excellent fruit.
Paley was also a student at this college.

The quaintness of thought which characterized three centuries ago comes
out in some of the arrangements of Caius College. This foundation prac-
tically owes its existence to Dr. Caius, after whom it is named. To illustrate
his views of life he built three gates to his college; the one opening from
the street was called "The Gate of Humility." Proceeding inwards to the
second court, it was necessary to pass through a second gate, which was
called " The Gate of Virtue." To obtain entrance into the inner court it
was equally necessar>' to pass through " The Gate of Honour." To trans-
late this antique teaching into every-day language would be to say that
"humility and virtue lead to honour." The present generation will scarcely
endorse the idea.

In connection with St. John's College there is a point worth attention : it
is asserted that the great west window in the tower, although composed
entirely of modern work, is superior in brilliancy, delicacy, and finish to
any of the ancient stained glass, the secret of which was supposed to have
been lost. In Magdalen College there is the original MSS. of " Pepys'
Diary," also a small volume taken down in shorthand by Pepys, from the
mouth of Charles II., detailing his escape after the Battle of Worcester.

The small college of Trinity Hall is specially designed for the study of
Canon and Civil Law : two of its members have made their names famous
in the present generation, viz., Lord Lytton and Sir Alexander Cockburn.

After the colleges have been seen, there is the Fitzwilliam Museum,
which glories in the possession of Canova's " Venus and Hebe." In the
picture gallery there is a portrait of a Dutch officer by Rembrandt ; one of
Philip II. by Titian; one of Pitt by Gainsborough; and twenty-three water-
colour drawings by Turner, kept in a lock-up case. There are also some
fine modern pictures by Stanfield, Goodall, and others.

One of the fairs held at Midsummer in the neighbourhood of Cambridge
has given birth to the word " tawdry." It is held in honour of Saint Awdr}\
By the ordinary law of change it became first Sain-t Awdry, gradually clipped
down to St'awdry, and finally tawdr}', under which guise we now know it,
and as the fair was principally held for the sale of flaring coloured ribbons,
the name obtained its present significance.

I 56

Ls^'

Cathedrals and Places of Note.

ELY.

The City of Ely took its rise from those monastic institutions whose
remains are still thickly scattered throughout England. In its earliest days
it was selected for its seclusion, its site being one of the many islands that
raised themselves out of the waste of waters which then existed as the Fens
of Cambridgeshire. It was founded as a monastery, and, after various modi-
fications, eventually took up its position as a Bishop's See. The objects ol
interest in Ely itself may be said to be concentrated into the ruins asso-
ciated with the old monastery, and the existing cathedral. The relics of
the monastery are not numerous : the most conspicuous is that commonly
known as the " Porter's Lodge," no doubt one of the original gates of Ely
itself during its monastic grandeur.

l!3^^

i:i.V rATIII'.DKAL.

Ely Cathedral is remarkable for its octagon and lantern, its reredos,
and for its perfect examples of different styles associated together in one
building. Any one who is desirous of grasping the general ideas included
in the growth of church architecture, cannot have a more favourable oppor-
tunity than is afforded at Ely. The modifications within the cathedral
represent a period of nearly five centuries, the date of its foundation being
1 06 1, and its completion 1550. The various styles which church archi-
tecture introduced during this long period is accurately represented in
different portions of the cathedral itself. It may be pointed out that —
The Nave and Transepts are Norman . . . 1066 — 1150
The Great Western Tower is Transitional . . 11 50 — 1200

Western Torch and Presbytery are Early English . 1200 — 1300
Octagon and Lady Chapel are Decorated . . 1300 — 1460

Chapels of Bishoi)s Alcock and West are Perpendicular 1460 — 1550
A curious illustration of symbolism in connection with the cathedral has
been pointed out by Mr. Stewart, and as it is probably a correct rendering

57 2

«^^

Bujy St. Edmn7ids.

of the subject, it is here subjoined. " The Galilee Porch is not parallel to
the axis of the nave, bur has a marked inclination to the north, whilst the
choir, on the other hand, like that of Exeter, inclines to the south. The
ground-plan of churches, by so frequently assuming a cross form, typify the
doctrine of the Atonement — the choir or chancel marking the position of
the Saviour's head, the transepts His arms, and the nave His body. By
an expansion of this idea, the choir is made to bend southwards to show
the inclination of the Redeemer's head upon the cross, while, as it would
seem here, the porch is turned in an opposite direction, to indicate the
position of His feet."

Another instance of the same principle of symbolism may be noted in
connection with a monument found under the floor of the nave. It re-

NORMAN TOWER AND GATEWAY, BURY ST. EDMUNDS.

presents an angel with wings raised above the head, bearing a small naked
figure ; probably representing the soul of a Bishop, as a crozier appeared at
the side.

Among the special points celebrated tor beauty of architectural effect may
be noted the three Western Bays, whilst the Octagon and Lantern are said
to be unequalled in England. The newly-erected Reredos is a splendid
example of modern work, at once chaste in design and rich in detail. For
those who desire to obtain a good view of the surrounding country, facilities
are afforded by a staircase commencing at the south-west transept, leading
to the western tower. Permission must be obtained of the verger in

attendance.

BURY ST. EDMUNDS.

This old town was founded by Canute in the most beautiful part of

West Suffolk, to commemorate the martyrdom of Edmund, King of East

Anglia, and it gradually increased in importance, together with the Abbey

founded at the same period, until the latter became one of the largest as

Cathedrals and Places of Note.

well as one of the most richly endowed monasteries in the kingdom, ])os-
sessing as it did revenues equivalent to ^50.000 at the present day. The
Abbot was mitred, and maintained a retinue of upwards of two hundred
jjersons ; and he not only coined his ovvn money, but also hanged his own
criminals. The early importance of Bury may be estimated from the fact
that it possessed no less than forty churches and religious foundations.
Here good Duke Humphrey had the misfortune to be smothered between
the bolsters of his bed in 1446, and Dudley unsuccessfully attempted to raise
the country on behalf of the unfortunate Lady Jane Grey.

^5^ k

Y-^

k3P-

PETERBORO.

Any one entering Peterboro Cathedral to hear the choral services, could
not fail to be struck with the thought that the feeling which they were in-
tended to represent has passed away, perhaps for ever. The choristers are
there, but where are the congregation ? They are conspicuous by their
absence. Yet it has not always been so forlorn. Peter-boro has its history,
as its name testifies. The patron saint of Rome gave its name to the
Minster reared by King Edgar in imitation of St. Peters at Rome, .\.i). 970,
and for a considerable jieriod a visit to its high altar was considered as
equivalent to a pilgrimage to Rome. During the whole ])eriod there have
been constant additions and alterations, and at the present moment the
Cathedral is still unfinished, the south-west transept having never been rom-
pleLed. Nine centuries have swept over the world since the foundations

Colchester

were laid, and, so far as mere material splendour is concerned, Peterboro
Cathedral has grown richer by each epoch. The Early Englisli porch — the
engraving of which is appended — is said to have no equal in the world for
beauty, richness, and grandeur. Within its aisles rest Katharine of Arragon,
Mary Queen of Scots, and Anne Boleyn. With respect to the first, a tale is
told in connection with her death : the courtiers asked Henry VIII. if he
would not erect a fair tomb to her memory : " Yes," he replied, " I will
leave her one of the goodliest in this kingdom " — meaning the Minster,
which was accordingly spared from destruction.

The hours fixed for choral services are ten and four daily.

COLCHESTER.

Why should any one in search of the picturesque visit Colchester ? The
town is known as a great military depot, but as a rule not much recognized
beyond. Yet Colchester possesses claims foi attention entirely its own.
Our great artist. Turner, chose the north side of the Mill Pond as a point
of view to sketch the town. On a question of this kind Turner's judgment
was unimpeachable. But beyond the merely accidental artistic eftects,
Colchester has claims on the archseologist and the lover of the past. In St.
Peter's Church there are some rare old brasses ; the gateway of St. John's
Abbey, and the ruins of Colchester Castle, views of which are appended,
speak for themselves. Traditions hang round most ruins, and a tale is told
of the Abbot of St. John's which is characteristic of the times. Henry
VIII. was enraged at any opposition to his will, and the relations between
the Church and the King were not harmonious during the latter part of his
reign. The Abbot, John Bechi, pertinaciously refusing to yield to certain
demands made by the King, an order was forthwith issued for his execution.

Cathedrals and Places of Note.

V3^^

The town magistrates, to whom the carrying out of the sentence was
entrusted, invited the Abbot to a feast, and when he arrived informed him
of the Royal warrant, and hanged him without further ceremony.

The Romans chose the site of Colchester for one of their great military
stations, as the Britons had done before ihem ; and both nations seem to
have appreciated the quality of the oysters of the neighbourhood, which
are technically known as natives.

IPSWICH.

What can we see at Ipswich? There are the Docks, the Corn Exchange,
the Town Hall, and all the various buildings which appertain to a town of
50,000 inhabitants. There are, however, other and special points of interest
Ipswich is associated with Wolsey, Bacon, Gainsborough, and Dickens.
Here in [471 was born the great Cardinal, at a house near St. Nicholas's
Church. Lord Bacon several times represented the town in Parliament ;
whilst Gainsborough was born and lived here, and from localities in its
neighbourhood produced some of his finest landscapes. The " Market
Cart," now in the National Gallery, was painted from the locality known
as his favourite walk, and which passes by the name of the great painter —
Gainsborough's Lane. It was at the " While Horse " that Dickens laid
the scene of Pickwick's error when he wandered into the wrong double-
bedded room, and to his horror found the yellow curl-papers occupying the
other bed.

It was at Ipswich also that Sam Weller saw Job Trotter emerge from a
green gate. The locality is Angel Lane, and the particular green gate
thus rendered famous is the last garden gate in the churchyard, within a
a few yards of Church Street. Of a less humourous character is "Sparrowe's
House," situate in the Butter Market. It is a good specimen of domestic
architecture of the sixteenth century; but its special claim to interest is the
tradition that Charles II. was concealed there after the Battle of Worcester.
So lately as iSoi a concealed loft was discovered in the upper storey, the
entrance to which was carefully hidden by a sliding panel. In this room
the King is supposed to have secreted himself, and the numerous relics,
portraits, &c., in the family of the then proprietor, lends support to
the assertion. In the Museum may be seen the Corporation Ducking
Chair. It is a strong-backed armchair, with iron rods and fastenings, so
constructed as effectually to secure the occupant, whilst a ring from the
top allowed the whole to be swung into the river : tlie price paid to the
porters for ducking the scolds was eighteenpence. It may here be noted
that the Museum is well worth a visit, and that this oiMnion is general is
testified by the fact that So,ooo persons sign their names, as visitors, annually.
There is no charge for admission. Those who wish to reach the steamers
which ply to Harwich, should turn down Queen Street, opposite the Post-
office, and follow straight to the water-side.

6i . G^
^^^i

NORWICH.

This city has three great points of interest : first the Cathedral, next the
Castle, and thirdly tlie Hall. One of the most salient features in connection
with the Cathedral is its resemblance to Notre Dame of Paris. The tower
and spire are the most important features of the exterior, the former being
the loftiest and most elaborate of the Norman period remaining in England;
the spire, with the exception of Salisbury, is the highest in the kingdom.
The best point of sight is the south-east, from Liles' Green. The cloisters
in connection with the Cathedral are worthy of attention from their great
size and beauty. Near the western door of the Cathedral is the Free
Grammar School, famous as having educated Sir lames Brooke and Lord
Nelson.

The Castle stands on a position marked out by nature for a structure of
the kind. The date of its foundation is uncertain, but in all probability the
site lias been occupied as a fortress from the earliest dates. The names of
Kings Alfred and Canute are associated with its early days, whilst its present
general aspect is due to the time of William the Conqueror, anil to the
care of its constable, one Roger Bigood. The Castle originally occupied
twenty acres, the part which is now remaining being only the keep. Its
walls vary from ten to thirteen feet in thickness, and are seventy feet high.
The general appearance is that of massive strength. It was converted into
the county gaol many years since.

St. Andrew's Hall, which is considered a structure of great beauty, is more
especially recognized at the present day as being "The Hall" in which the
triennial Musical Festivals are held at Norwich. It was originally connected
with the monastery of the Black Friars, suppressed at the Reformation.
The citizens made application to Henry VIII., and on payment of the sum
of ;^8o, the Hall became the property of the Corporation.

One of the best points of view from which to see Norwich is the Castle
Hill : on a fine day the panorama is superb.

HUNSTANTON.

Hunstanton St. Edmund — locally called Hunston — is situated on a
line of cliff at the north-west point of Norfolk, just within the northernmost
point of the great estuary of the Wash. It is eight miles distant from
Sandringham, and from its sheltered position, with a western aspect, its
warm, genial climate, and the restorative properties of its chalybeate spring,
is fast becoming one of the most popular health resorts on the Hast coast.
The Convalescent Home was established as a memorial of the recovery
from his dangerous illness in 1871-72 of His Royal Highness the Prince of
Wales. This cliff, about a mile long, and in some parts sixty feet high, breaks
the monotony of the flat shores that stretch away on either side, and it looks

over the lirm sand\- b^ach and the wide sea view; it consists of grey clialk
marl, containing numerous organic remains ; white chalk full of branching
zoophytes ; red chalk, green sand, and a dark brown breccia.

The Oeen, or Recreation dround, is pleasantly situated on the cliff, and
slopes towards the sea. Along its face, at two levels, are well-formed terraces
or promenades, protected by masonry from damage by high tides. The
pier was constructed in 1870. When the tide is up, the pier is a delightful
promenade, whence may be observed the passing vessels, and not unfre-
quently the " grotesque gambols of schools of porpoises which follow up the
water to prey upon the fish that are entangled, as it were, in the mixture
of river and sea at the flood." Seals, also, may sometimes be seen.

A pleasant walk along the cliff leads to the lighthouse. It throws its warning
light upon a dangerous sand in the Wash, known as the " Roaring Middle."
At night a revolving light of the Lynn Well lightshi]) may be seen. Xcnr the
li ;hthouse, and near the summit of tiie <liff, are the shattered and shapeless
remains of the ancient chapel of .St. Edmund. The village of Old Himstnn-
ton lies about a mile and a half inland.

-ff^^

Cromer.

CROMER.

This old sea-side village is still girt with the charm of its comparative
isolation, for although the Great Eastern Railway runs direct from Norwich
to the outskirts of the town, the revolution which its advent is destined to
work, is only beginning to manifest itself. Cromer is still in the quaintness
of its primitive surroundings, tempting alike from its natural beauty, its
bracing air, and its entire freedom from hurry and rush. Those who want
an outing where they can breathe the strong sweet air of the Northern Sea,
and combine with it absolute rest and good quarters, cannot do better than
pay a visit to Cromer. It has all the advantages incidental to railway com-
munication, combined with the quiet which railway termini too rarely afford.
The objects of interest in the immediate vicinity are not very special or

very numerous, but the whole neighbourhood is famed for its walks and
drives, whilst the legend of " Cromer under the Sea" gives a weird interest as
to how much is true and how much is romance. Pure water is a first essential
to the preservation or renewal of health. In this respect Cromer can now
fairly hold its own. The Water Works erected on the high land behind the
town combine all the requirements of a good water supply, viz., quantity,
purity, and pressure. As the water is obtained by deep boring in the chalk,
its general excellence may be relied on.

It may be pointed out that the church towers are usually built very high
along the east coast, and have been much used as sea-marks. The coast is so
dangerous that there are four lighthouses between Cromer and Yarmouth,
and the wrecks so numerous, that the timber from wrecks is much used in
outhouses and fences. The cliffs are succumbing to the joint influence of the

Sea-Batkijig Places.

inland springs and the force of the waves. Those who wish to see tlie
actual result can do so by extending their walk along the shore past the
new lighthouse, where enormous masses of cliff are lying on the beach.

Felbrigge Park is about four miles from Cromer, and the Hall contains
some capital pictures, among them a few Rembrandts and some good Van-
derveldes. In the nave of the church is a brass of great rarity and beauty,
one of the five of the Knights of the Garter which alone remain.

The Roman Camp, some four miles beyond Sherringham Church, as also
Beeston and Aylmertun Heaths, are well worth seeing. The latter have
reference to a period before houses were invented, when people lived in
holes dug in the earth ; of these holes there are some 2,000 in Aylmerton
Heath alone.

l,,,^iL -^

YAKMUUTH.

YARMOUTH.

Among the sea-bathing places of the East Coast, Yarmouth has achieved
a reputation for good sands and strong sea air. As to its health-giving
([ualities, Charles Dickens says : " If you bear a grudge against any par-
ticular insurance company, purchase from it a heavy life annuity, go and
live at Great Yarmouth, and draw your dividends until they ask in despair
whether your name is Old Parr or Mcthusaleh."

For visitors to Yarmouth the great promenade is the Marine Parade,
which extends for a considerable distance in front of the sea, and is a
wide and handsome road, flanked on the land side with good-looking
houses. It has at either end a pier jutting well out into the sea. These
piers afford capital loitering places durmg the warm summer days, and are

--^

^ Yarmouth.

also favourite resorts for those who are fond of fishing from a safe vantage-
ground.

From whence comes the expression, " I don't care a brass farthing " ?
There are a good many who have heard the words, but who have been
unable to attach much meaning to them. Had we lived in Yarmouth two
centuries ago, we should have understood it better. In 1667, the Cor-
poration of the t©wn issued brass farthings, which did not please our witty
monarch, Charles II., who thought the coining of farthings was a distinct
violation of his own Royal privileges, and prosecuted the town for its im-
pertinence. The coinage was stopped, a fine of ^r, 000 inflicted, and the
little coin held up to contempt. Though rare, they are occasionally met
with in the neighbourhood. So much for the origin of the phrase.

The parish church, St. Nicholas, is said to be the largest parish church in
England. It has a continuous width carried along its entire length, greater
than either York Minster or St. Paul's. It is remarkable for its great spans,
and has been a noble and handsome erection, but at one period of its
existence its experiences were not too happy. During the Commonwealth
it suffered badly. Cromwell and his Puritanical followers failed to see much
good in big churches ; they thought it better to have places for every-day
use. To effect this object, they quietly divided the church into three places
of worship for three ditterent sects of Nonconformists. Very practical, but
scarcely appreciative of church architecture.

We sometimes say of a man that he is in a cleft stick, but not many of
us know very perfectly what it means. The good authorities of Yarmouth
are disposed to enlighten us. The Corporation have a place they call the
Hutch — suggestive name! — in which they keep their deeds, diec. Amongst
them are preserved some tallies, or cleft sticks, the old fashion of keeping
accounts. The stick was divided into two parts, one part being given to
the creditor, the other part to the debtor, and so they notched away against
each other as a tally. Scarcely suitable for our Railway Clearing House at
the present time!

Among the most celebrated objects of interest in the immediate neigh-
bourhood is Burgh Castle, said to be the most considerable and perfect
specimen of Roman fortifications in England. It claims to belong to the
first century of our era, but that is a matter difficult to settle. It is old
enough to be venerable, and romantic enough to be interesting. Its walls
are nine feet thick and fourteen feet high : from the general contour of the
walls it would appear to have been a permanently entrenched camp, having
its base on the sea.

The same peculiarity attaches to Yarmouth which renders Lowestoft a
favourite place for families. There are no high cliffs near the sea-shore, so
th?.t children can play on the beach without fear of dangerous falls. For
those who seek bracing air, a good beach, capital bathing, and moderate
expenditure, Yarmouth appears to be well suited.

V3^-

Sea-BatJiing Places.

LOWESTOFT.

Lowestoft is one of the most flimous sea-side places on the East Coast.
In its immediate neighbourhood is one of the Norfolk Broads, called Oulton,
a splendid piece of fresh water, well stocked with fish, and at the season of
the year affords admirable sport to the lovers of that pursuit which Izaak
Walton has made so famous. Lowestoft has some of those elements for
which Yarmouth is conspicuous : it has good sands, a beach almost level
with the Esplanade, strong air and good water : a place well suited for
families, as it is free from the dangers inseparable from places where there are
lofty cliffs, which will, of necessity, entail anxiety where there are children.

Lowestoft itself has been much changed by the action of the sea. A

place called the Denes has the appearance of a rugged seashore, being
covered with sand and pebbles, but surrounded with parts of great vordure
and beauty. In the town itself there are a few objects of interest worth
seeing. In the chancel of the parish church, St. Margaret's, there is a fine
le( tern, niade of brass and shaped liked an eagle, with outspread wings,
bearing a large black-letter Bible. The lectern is Said to have been stolen
by one of Oliver Cromwell's soldiers, with the intention of selling it for old
l^rass ; but he being killed in battle, it was discovered by a ploughman in the
field, and restored to its proper place. Some of the epitaphs are amusing
and curious ; here is one :

"Sacred to the memory of Sir John .\shley . . . who gave many signal
examples of his bravery and skilfulness in naval affairs, by which he
obtained the post of .\dmir.al and Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Xavy

f^^

''"eJ^-

Walton-on-tlic-Naze.

and General of Marines. Adorned with these honours, he exchanged earthly
glory for immortality."

Some of the merchants of the town appear to have had a craze for per-
petuating their name, thus : a Mr. Thomas Annott endowed a school on
the condition that it was " to maintain an honest person to be known by
the name of Mr. Annott, his schoolmaster, to bring up forty youths in virtue
and religion, to teach them the art and knowledge of grammar, and all
things incident and necessary belonging to the same art." The bequest
has been disputed, but up to the present it has held its own, and a nominal
Mr. Annott still flourishes.

There are a number of small villages surrounding Lowestoft, which afford
pleasant walks and drives. The Esplanade is a fine broad open path facing
the sea, having rows of good houses, which are let out in lodgings during
the season. The Post-office is close to the Railway Station. There are
return tickets by rail from London at an exceedingly moderate price.

WALTON-ON-THB-NAZB.

This sea-side resort was probably called into existence by the Saxons,
and must at that period have been of some importance. Roman remains
are still to be seen in the vicinity. The railway runs direct to Wa'!to;\, and
near the station and beach numerous houses are being built, aftbrding
accommodation for the annually increasing influx of visitors who resort here
in preference to more crowded localities. It is a paradise for children,
numbers of whom may be seen on a fine summer's day taking walks on the
shore and enjoying the perfect freedom of the sandy beach. Our view
shows the pier, where passengers are landed from the Ipswich steamers,
as also the extensive sward lying between the houses and the sea-shore.

■^^^i

^1>45)-

CLACTON-ON-SEA.

Clacton-on-Sea maybe reached by means of a branch line from Colchester.
The town stands uj^on a cliff forty or fifty feet high, that faces the ocean, and
looks down upon sands which, for extent and firmness, cannot be surpassed.

The Pier is a continuation of the main road. To the right and left are
well-arranged streets and pleasant houses. The Lifeboat House is of red
brick, faced with Portland stone. On a tablet over the chief doorway is
the following inscription : " This Lifeboat Establishment was presented to
the Royal National Lifeboat Institution by the United Grand Lodge of
Freemasons of England in Commemoration of the safe return from India
of the Most Worshipful Grand Master, His Royal Highness Albert Edward

CLACTO.\-0.\-SEA.

Prince of Wales, 1877." The boat, which is named the "Albert Edward,"
has already saved several lives.

Clacton has adequate church and chapel accommodation, and also a
public hall capable of holding 500 people. The season commences at
Whitsuntide. There is an annual regatta, an event of great local attraction.

In the neighbourhood are several spots of interest. One of these is the
village of Great Clacton, only a mile distant. It contains the church of
St. John the Baptist, one of the finest specimens of Norman architecture
in the country. It has nave, chancel, and south chancel aisle, and a large
stone tower. Four miles from Clacton is the \illage of St. Osyth with its
ancient ])riory and churcli. The ruins of a monastery remain. The en-
trance is through a gateway of imposing i)roportions. near which is a long
battlemented wall with a fine Norman archway, where, it is supposed, the
courthouse stood. The priory is now a private residence. The park of
250 acres contains some splendid cedars of Lebanon. A mile from St.
Osyth's is St. Clair's, an anci nt building surrounded by a moat.

k3^-

-«^

Sea-Bathing Places.

DOVERCOURT.

This little sea-side place is practically a suburb of Harwich, and in that
sense it is a distinct advantage to Dovercourt, for by this association all the
bustle of a town is combined with all the quiet of comparative seclusion.
The esplanade affords a splendid walk by the side of the sea, whilst the Spa
equally secures all the advantages of a lounge. The cost of entry is not
excessive : the amount is one penny, whilst for another halfpenny the thirsty
loiterer can indulge in a glass of cool Spa water. At one time the virtues
of the spring were universally acknowledged. Our faith in healing water at
present, if less robust, is more discriminating ] but it is quite possible that
to many constitutions the chalybeate properties of the water will prove
useful. It is a mild tonic, containing carbonate and sulphate of lime, mag-
nesia, and oxide of iron. To many persons the most essential question in
connection with a watering place is its bathing advantages. In this respect

DOVERCOURT.

Dovercourt makes large claims : it is said to be one of the safest parts of
the entire Eastern Coast for the purposes of bathing.

HARWICH.

Harwich is an ancient seaport. It stands on a peninsula at the confluence
of the Stour and Orwell, both of which are navigable for large vessels for
twelve miles above the town, the one to Ipswich, the other to Manningtree.
Uniting at Harwich they form a large bay, and passing through a channel two
to three miles wide, fall into the sea. The harbour of Hanvich is the best on
the east coast of England, and it is said that loo ships of war, and more than
300 colliers have anchored here at the same time. The coast-Hne having
undergone various changes, a stone breakwater, 400 yards long, has been
built from the Beacon Cliff, a channel into the harbour has been dredged

'"eJts

Harwich.

to a depth of thirty feet, and thus the entrance has been restored to its
former depth.

Events have greatly affected the history of Harwich. Landguard f'ort,
now joined to the Suffolk coast, was, in 1667, attacked by a Dutch force,
but they were driven off. At the Government dockyard, now let to private
persons, sixty ships of war have been built, fifteen of them three-deckers.
Formerly the trade of the town was large ; the introduction of steam trans-
ferred it to London : now, by means of the railway, it has been revived.

Harwich in summer is thronged with excursionists — some come for sea-
bathing. The railway company's pier extends into the harbour a distance
of 600 feet for the accommodation of the passengers by its steamers to the
Continent.

L3^

The Great Eastern Railway Company are expending about a (juarter of
a million of money in the construction of extensive works at Ramsey
Ray, bordering on Harwich, which will greatly facilitate the development
of Continental traffic by this route. These will comprise a new station
and pier — the latter over a quarter of a mile in length— landing and loading
quays, and large warehouse accommodation, as well as Custom's offices.
The works are rajiidly advancing towards completion and when ready, the
Company meditate the establishment of a daily service to Antwerp as well
as to Rotterdam, besides lines of steamers from Denmark, Hamburg, and
other j)laces. Among the institutions of Harwich is a nursery for lobsters
that are brought from the Norwegian coasts, fed here in tanks, and then
sent to Billingsgate. During the summer months 4,000 men and boys are
employed, besides those required on board the fleet of smacks engaged in
the trade, most of which belong to Harwich. Some forty shrimping boats
also arrive here from Kent in May, and remain till October.

C^^

EPPING FOREST.
CHINGFORD.
Epping FoREJiT is unsurpassed for the variety of its scenery, the stately
beauty of its woodlands, the purity of its air, and its accessibiHty to the
metropohs. It is a portion of what was at one time known as the Forest
of Essex, and subsequently as the Forest of Waltham. It extended to the
walls of London. In 1S37 it was estimated to occupy 60,000 acres, of
which 48,000 were enclosed and had become private property ; the unen-
closed portions do not now exceed 6,000 acres. Hainault Forest is a part
of the Forest of Waltham, and is said to have received its name because it
was stocked with deer brought from Hainault. It was disafforested in

;pPi'V3 FORESV on IiCm.^ uo -1 L^a

185 1 ; and " the Act has been carried mto effect by dibposiug of the timber
and underwood, and bringing that portion which was allotted to the Crown
into cultivation." But parts of Hainault Forest are still very picturesque,
abound in nightingales, and can show some fine trees. One of these,
known as the Fairlop oak, was of enormous size, its girth being forty-five
feet. Its age may be inferred from the fact that Queen Anne went to see it.
In 1S05 it w'as injured by fire, and in 1S20 its remains were blown down.

The most southerly portion of the forest commences within a few
minutes' walk of either Leyton or Forest Gate Stations ; but visitors who
wish to approach nearer the middle of it should go to Loughton, on its
southern side, or to Chingford Station on the north. Chingford is only a
shilling return fare from Liverpool Street Terminus ; and it is, perhaps, best
for those who wish to reach the wildest parts of the forest.

Large lakes have been constructed which will offer facilities for boating
and fishing in summer and for skating in winter. The ancient Hunting
Lodge of Queen Elizabeth is close to Chingford Station.

THE "FLYING SCOTSMAN."

King's Cross Station stands amid some historic associations. Hard by
is the place where, a thousand years ago, King Alfred conquered the Danes;
and the bridge subsequently erected over the river fleet was thereafter
called Battle Bridge. The terminus, however, borrows its name from an
octagonal tower, which was erected by an ultra-loyal bricklayer, who sur-
mounted it with a statue of George IV., so grotesque in figure and expres-
sion, that it became the jest of London, and George Cruikshank sketched
it, and called it " Dusty Bob in a Blanket."

We enter the terminus : at the down platform stands the splendid express
known as the " Flying Scotsman." Its reputation is far-reaching and well
deserved. It leaves the King's Cross terminus at lo a.m., stops half an hour
for dinner at York, and reaches the Waverley Station in Edinburgh at 7 p.m.
The rate of speed being seldom less than fifty, and often more than sixty
miles per hour, makes this one of the quickest runs of which we have any
record.

The train has scarcely left the station when it passes into a tunnel under
the Regent's Canal, then under the North London Railway, and through
another tunnel beneath the New Cattle Market, and out into the open
countr>'. To our left is Highgate, Avith the graceful spire of its church, and
the cedars of the cemetery ; while farther away are the heights, trees, and
\illas of Hampstead. Hornsey soon appears, with its spacious mansions,
some of them renowned as the abodes of eminent men. In the churchyard
Rogers the poet was buried, and his monument has been placed in the old
ivy-covered church. We now cross the New River, which winds pleasantly
among the fields ; and we are soon on a viaduct, commanding a view of
Muswell Hill and the splendid pile of Alexandra Palace. It was rebuilt
in 1874, in the place of one burnt down in 1873 only a few weeks after it
was opened. It stands 220 feet above the Thames. The grounds occupy
some 220 acres. More than 60,000 trees were transplanted hither. Near
at hand Tom Moore wrote the greater part of " Lalla Rookh." To the left
•is the Colney Hatch Asylum; and then, sweeping over the skirts of what
was once Enfield Chase, we are at Barnet, near which, in 147 1, the battle was
fought between the royal Houses of York and Lancaster, in which Nevile
the Kingmaker was slain. A column has been erected to mark the spot.
About seventeen miles from London we see on our right the wall of Hatfield
Park, where Queen Elizabeth was confined as a sort of honourable i^risoner,
and where she received tidings that she had become Queen of England.

But the "Flying Scotsman " gives us no time to loiter, and we are soon
on the great Digswell Viaduct, nearly 100 feet above the rich and beautiful
valley of the Mmisam ; and Welwyn Station is reachjd, half a mile to the
left of which is the little church where Young, author of " Night Thoughts "

73 ' S
fUtJ

The " Flying Scotsmati!''

preached. Two long chalk tunnels are now entered ; then comes Rabley
Heath, probably Robbery Heath ; and soon after passing the tunnels we see
Knebworth, the mansion of Lord Lytton. The next station is Stevenage,
where the abbots of Westminster had their manor lands, and where Charles
Dickens found the original hermit described in one of his Christmas tales —
Mr. Mopes. Emerging from a chalk cutting, we reach Hitchin, anciently called
Hiz, once a possession of the Mercian kings. About thirty-three miles from
London we enter Bedfordshire. Not far from Shefford is South Hill Park,
a seat of the Whitbread family. Here Admiral Byng was born ; and, in the
churchyard, after he was shot, was buried. Biggleswade is on the river
Ivel : it was formerly one of the greatest grain markets in England. Sandy
was a Roman station ; the ramparts enclosed about 30 acres. On the other
side of the valley are the remains of Caesar's camp. Sandy is now a great
kitchen garden for the London market.

Some fifty-one miles from London we cross the Huntingdonshire boun-
dary, and soon reach St. Neots on the Ouse. St. Neotus is said to have
been a relation of King Alfred. The church is considered the finest in the
county. About seven miles from St. Neots we reach Huntingdon, beauti-
fully situa-ted on a rising ground overlooking the north side of the Ouse.
To the left of the station is Hinchinbrook House, an antique Tudor mansion
standing out nobly among the ancient trees. The great Protector was born
in the old family house in the town.

We are now in the fen country. Seventy-six miles from London we reach
Peterborough, with its noble cathedral and railway junctions. A few miles
north is a branch that leads to Stamford and to Burghley House. A hundred
miles from London we enter a rocky cutting, and then Stoke Tunnel in the
blue lias, and looking down on Great Ponton (the Roman Ad pontem) we
reach Grantham. Ermine Street passed here, and here, probably, was a
military station; here also Cromwell had a dashing military exploit; and
here Isaac Newton went to school. The spire of the church is 273 feet high.
Running northward, we enter a tunnel half a mile long — emerge on rich
level country, chequered with copses, cottages, and mansions ; pass Clay-
pole, where, after fourteen years of widowhood, the wife of the Protector
died ; and, two miles forward, we cross the Shire Dyke, and are in Notts.

Newark comes next, with its stately church of St. Mary Magdalene, the
spire of which is 240 feet high ; and the castle which King Stephen erected,
where John died of poison and remorse, and where Wolsey lodged in
princely state. Six miles forward is Carlton ; and soon afterwards the lofty
embattled tower of Tuxford Church is seen. The town around is beautifully
situated on an eminence ; and we next reach East Retford, on the Idle, an
important parliamentary borough, and a great railway junction. Some five
miles forward is Ranskill ; and then comes Scrooby, where the archbishops
of York had a palace, and where a little Christian community of Indepen-
dents was gathered, who went from Scrooby to Boston, from Boston to
Holland, from Holland, in the Mayflower, to the New ^^^orld, and there

The " Flying Scotsman^

founded the " Pilgrim Father " Church of America. Bawtry is a market
town standing in both Notts and Yorkshire. Doncaster, on the Don, is
chiefly renowned for its races; and seven miles north, at .-Vskerne Junction,
we reach what is strictly speaking the termination of the Great Northern
line, though the Company has ample powers for the freest access to what is
more popularly regarded as its terminus at York.

Leaving York, we pursue our way northward, past Thirsk, busy with its
sacking and leather trade; Northallerton, near which the Battle of the
Standard was fought in 1138; Darlington, with its church of St. Cuthbert*
with its tower and spire rising from the centre to the height of nearly 200
feet ; and at length we approach Newcastle, where we cross the high level
bridge, one of the masterpieces of the engineering of Robert Stephenson.
It carries us over the deep ravine that lies between the town of Gateshead
and Newcastle, at the bottom of which flows the river Tyne. The length
of the bridge and viaduct between the Gateshead Station and the terminus
on the Newcastle side is 4,000 feet. It passes over the roofs of the houses
which fill both sides of the valley. The upper parapjrt is 130 feet above the
bed of the river. Some 400,000 cubic feet of ashlar, rubble, and concrete
were used in the piers, and 450,000 cubic feet in the land arches and
approaches. It has been called the king of railway structures. Pursuing
our onward way, we continue what is known as the East Coast Route ; pass
Alnwick and Holy Island, and soon approach the borders of Scotland. The
Royal Border Bridge carries us over the Tweed. The warders at Berwick
no longer look out from the Castle walls to descry the glitter of southron
spears. " The bell tower, from which the alarm was sounded of old, though
still standing, is deserted ; the only bell heard within the precincts being
the railway porter's bell announcing the arrival and departure of trains. You
see the Scotch express pass along the bridge and speed onward on the wings
of steam. But no alarm spreads along the border now." Northumbrian
beeves browse in peace. The opening of the Border Bridge may be regarded
as " the last Act of the Union." On reaching Berwick the remains of the old
wall built by the Romans are still to be seen, whilst the station of Ber\v-ick
itself has, from its castellated appearance, something of a military style. The
town of Berwick and its surrounding neighbourhood occupies a peculiar
position, for it belongs neither to England nor Scotland ; it is the free town
of Berwick-on-Tweed. The entrance to Scotland itself is some three miles
farther north, and is marked by a toll-bar and gatehouse, at which marriages
similar to those of Gretna Green were used to be solemnized. On entering
Scotland along the main road, the position of the coast to the railway is
singularly picturesque. The line here is at a great elevation, almost parallel
with the shore, and glimpses of fine scenery constantly come forth. This is
especially the case at the first station on the line, Burnmouth, noted as a haunt
for artists ; it is at present a mere fishing village, but stands in a position of
exceeding natural beauty. From the first point the line sweeps more in-
land, and then starts direct for Edinburgh and the north.

75 1—2

PETERBOROUGH.

Peterborough is seventy-six miles from London. Here, in the seventh
century, one Penda, a King of the Mercians, built an Abbey on an island in
the river Nene, surrounded by impassable marshes, and called it Medeham-
stede, or the "Home in the Meadows." Shortly afterwards it was destroyed
by the Danes, but about 970 was rebuilt, and, on account of its splendour,
was called Gilden or Golden-Burgh ; but since the Abbey was dedicated to
St. Peter, it was called Peterborough. The present edifice was begun in
1118 ; but it was two hundred years before transept and nave, chapels and
towers, were completed. The Cathedral is cruciform. It is chiefly in Nor-
man and Early English, but great alterations have been made in later styles.

Its length is 476 feet, the breadth at the great transepts over 200 feet, and
the height of the ceiling about 80 feet. The central tower is surmounted
by a lantern, and is 150 feet in height. The western front of the Cathedral
presents a noble appearance : it is formed by a recessed portal with three
lofty arches, surmounted by a rich gable. The view looking toward the
choir is very fine. Two queens were interred here — two of the most un-
fortunate in history : Katharine of Arragon, and Mary of Scotland, whose
headless body was brought here from Fotheringay. The Bishop of Lincoln's
funeral sermon for her was sufficiently cautious. "Let us," he said, "give
thanks for the happy dissolution of the high and mighty Princess Mary, of
whose life and death at this time I have not much to say, because I was
not acquainted with the one, neither was I present at the other."

At Peterborough the London and North Western, the Midland, and
Great Eastern systems join the Great Northern ; here also the Lincolnshire
Loop Line starts, and runs through Spalding, by the ruined Abbey of Crow-
land, through the fen country, past Boston to Lincoln, Grimsby, &c.

rDti)-

GRANTHAM.

Grantham is 105 miles from London. It is a town of great antiquity,
and is said by some to have been built 300 years before the Christian era-
It was an important Roman station, and the names of four of the chief
streets suggest that it was a walled town ; no traces, however, of the fortifi-
cations remain, nor of the Castle, which no doubt stood near the Castle
Gate. Many of the ancient architectural antiquities of the town have been
destroyed; and the Cross erected by Edward I., in memory of Queen
Eleanor, on St. Peter's Hill, is now no more. Near the Angel Inn was a
beautiful oratory, ornamented with scriptural figures in bas-relief; and the
Angel Inn, once the Preceptory of the Knights Templars, still bears marks

--Town "^ALli

Akckl Hotel.

L3^

of its ancient use. A priory of Grey Friars was founded here about the
time of the erection of Queen Eleanor's Cross. It is thought that a hospital
for lepers also was established at Spittlegate, near what is called Grantham
Spa, where there is a chalybeate spring rising out of a sandy soil, the medi-
cinal (lualities of which appear to have been known to the monks.

Grantham is a junction of the Great Northern. Here, or near here,
branches diverge to Lincoln and Boston on the east, and i)ass the stately
towers of Belvoir Castle on the west, to Nottingham, Derby, and tiie great
coal fields of the Leen and Krewash Valleys.

The Church at Grantham is a noble building, with tower and spire 273
feet in height. It contains several monuments. The Charnel-House has
been divested of its gloomy interest by the removal of 1,500 skulls, which
were formerly exhibited, arranged in rows and whitened by age. To many
minds Grantham will have an enhanced interest when it is remembered that
here the early school-days of Isaac Newton were passed.

■^^<lJ

DON CASTER.

DoNCASTER has been well described in Southey's " Doctor " as a " very-
likeable place, being one of the most comfortable towns in England ; for it
is clean, spacious, in a salubrious situation, well built, well governed, has no
manufactures, kw poor, a greater proportion of inhabitants who are not en-
gaged in any trade or calling than perhaps any other town in the kingdom ;
and moreover it sends no Members to Parliament."

One of the most beautiful churches in England is that of St. George, at
Doncaster. It is erected on the site of an ancient edifice that was burnt
down in 1853, the cause being, as usual, a neglected flue. The present
building cost nearly ^60,000 : it was designed by Sir G. G. Scott, and is in

THE RACECOURSE, DONCASTER.

the Early Decorated style. It is 170 feet long ; the tower is 170 feet high,
and, with the exception of that of Boston, is the loftiest central tower of a
parish church in England.

Doncaster is celebrated for its races. They are of great antiquity : the
corporation books show that there was a stand on the racecourse here before
the year 16 15. The course is about a mile from the town, and is approached
by a road beautifully lined with trees. Doncaster and its healthy breezy
neighbourhood will, at any season, well repay a visit.

The Great Northern Company has its principal locomotive, carriage, and
waggon works at Doncaster. Lines branch from hence to Barnsley and the
South Yorkshire coal fields, to Goole and Hull, and to Leeds, Bradford,
Halifax, Wakefield, and the populous manufacturing districts of the West
Riding. There are also junctions with the Midland, North Eastern, Man-
chester Sheffield and Lincolnshire, and the Lancashire and Yorkshire
railways.

YORK.

As WE stand in the midst of a great centre of railway administration, and
not far away from the stately Minster of York, we think of the time when
there was nothing here but a mighty forest which stretched from the Midlands
to the North, and where at length Roman military settlers took up their
abode, because at this sjiot " all the forest paths converged." This event
occurred about A.D. 79, and less than one hundred and thirty years after-
wards York had become the chief city of the province of Britain, London
being " still a mere resort of traders." Constantine the Great was here pro-
claimed Emperor, and whether he was not born here is uncertain. Many
Parliaments have been held at York. The city retains much of its antique
appearance. " Why, Mr. Brown," said Sydney Smith to a York tradesman,
" your streets are the narrowest in Europe ; there is not actually room for
two carriages to pass." " Not room ! " was the indignant reply ; " there 's
plenty of room, sir, and above an inch and a half to spare ! "

York Minster has probably an older and wider reputation than any other
English cathedral. It was the centre from which Christianity spread through
the country north of the Humber. The metropolitan church of the northern
province was regarded with reverence and admiration, as its stately towers
and roofs were seen rising in massive grandeur above the great plain of York.
The Minster was founded in the seventh century ; erected in its present
form in 1171, but not completed till three hundred years afterwards. It is
usually entered from the south transept, the earliest portion of the existing
church, and from this point the architectural succession of the cathedral may
be easily observed ; but if we approach by the great west door, the entire
length of the Minster is best seen. The vaulted roof, 100 feet high, stretches
in a noble vista 500 feet long, to the east window ; while the mellowed light
that streams down from the painted windows, falls on the great clustered
pillars on either side of the nave. The central or Lantern Tower is 235
feei high : it is said to be the most massive in England. The top is beau-
tifully battlemented. The choir is built in the same style as the nave, and
it illustrates the progress of Gothic architecture from the Decorated to the
Perpendicular order. The east window is declared to be the finest in the
world ; it is 75 feet high and 32 feet broad. The Chapter House is on the
north side of the cathedral.

Five minutes' walk from the Minster are the ruins of St. Mary's Abbey,
and the Museum Gardens of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society. The
early history of this most interesting building is involved in obscurity, but
undoubted Roman, Saxon, and Norman remains may here be studied. The
north wall of the nave of the church has eight windows, the lights and
tracery of which are singularly beautiful. The Museum is a Doric structure,
erected in 1827. It is rich in natural history and geological treasures. It
contains elephants' teeth from the coast, fresh-water fossils from Holderness,
fossils (bones) from Kirkdale Crag, fossils (ammonites) from Whitby, and also
British and foreign birds.

York Castle was once a strong fortress ; it is now a gaol. Its walls enclose

York.

I-

an area of four acres. Clifford's Tower stands on a high mound, and forms
a prominent and picturesque object. It was the keep of the Castle when
York surrendered to the Parliamentary army in 1644; the city was dis-
mantled of its fortifications with the exception of Clifford's Tower.

The Multangular Tower is an interesting structure. The lower part is
Roman, the upper mediceval. The masonry of the exterior surface consists
of regular courses of ashlar stones, with a string of large Roman tiles. The
masonry of the interior is remarkably fresh and j^erfect, having been for

VOKK STAllUN.

many ages protected by an accumulation of soil. The diameter at the floor
is 33 feet. This tower stood at the south-west angle of the Roman city.
The work is thought to have been completed by the legions under Severus.

The city walls are almost perfect throughout their extent. They existed
before the time of Henry III.; they suffered in the siege of 1644, but were
subsequently repaired. In 1831 they were again renovated, and they remain
in excellent preservation. The most complete part is that which lies to the
west of the Ouse. It encompasses the city on this side, and forms a pro-
menade, from which fine views may be obtained of the Minster, Cliflbrd's
Tower, and the city.

The new station of the North Eastern Company, near the city walls of
York, is handsome and commodious. Here, having completed the first
portion of its journey of 1S9 miles in three hours and fifty-five minutes, the
" Scotsman ' tarries half an hour to dine, i-'or this every arrangement lias
been made.

STUDLEY ROYAL.

Studley Royal, the seat of Earl de Grey, is about three and a half miles
from Ripon, and is one of the most delightful " show places " in Yorkshire.
On entering the park by the lodge, the visitor enters his name in a book,
and is informed that there are three ways of viewing the grounds and ruins
— "the long way, the middle way, and the short way" — and that the first
will occupy two or three hours ; but a whole summer's day could hardly be
more delightfully spent than among the woods of Studley and the ruins of
Fountains Abbey. Charming views are enjoyed on every hand, and objects
of interest, natural or artificial, arrest the attention. The Norway spruce
fir, 133 feet high and straight to the top, and the hemlock spruce, upwards

of 60 feet high, were planted, about 1720, by John Aislabie. The stream of
the Skell, falling into tiny cascades, crossed by rustic bridges, and anon ex-
panding into lakes ; the walks, now winding by the water and then plunging
into the woods of oak and beech : the Well of Robin Hood, near which he
had his memorable contest with the stout "curtal friar" of Fountains; the
Octagon Tower, that crowns the hill, and the Temple of Piety, that nestles
in a lowly but delightful situation ; the avenue, about a mile in length, lined
with lime-trees ; and the park, beautifully wooded and stocked with deer, —
these are among the objects that delight the visitor to Studley Royal.

The house is not shown. At the beginning of the last century Studley
Royal was the property of Mr. Aislabie, who had married the heiress of
IMallory. The families of Mallory, Tempest, Le Gras, and Aleman had had
possession of Studley for five centuries. Mr. Aislabie, having spent many
years in public life, passed his retirement here, rebuilding the manor house
and planting the "pleasaunce" and park, and Studley became known as the
*' most embellished spot " in the north of England.

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FOUNTAINS ABBEY.

Fountains Abbey is three miles from Ripon. The origin of the name
has been variously explained. One authority tells us :

"Low in a vale, with springs well stored, and wood,
And sovereign herbs whence failing health's renewed,
A neighbouring abbey next invites the eye ;
Stupendous acts of former piety !

From streams and springs which nature here contrives,
The name of Fountains this sweet place derives."

Fountains Abbey was founded about a year after that of Rievaux. Scenes
of violence had taken place among the monks of St. Marj-'s at York, and

the restoration of order being difficult, the archbishop assigned to some of
them a place of retreat in the valley of the Skell. Here they at first shel-
tered themselves under the rocks and yew-trees, and subsequently erected
wooden cells and a chapel beneath an enormous elm, which survived until
the Dissolution. Subsequently wealth poured in upon the monks until
their lands extended as far as the foot of Pennygent, and included in one
estate 60,000 acres, besides other domains elsewhere. Crossing the Skell,
and passing the fragments of the Gate-House, the Hospitium is first reached.
We then approach the Abbey, consisting of nave, transept, choir, and tower.
The nave is the oldest portion ; the tower is 168 feet high. Probably the
Lady Chapel is the most beautiful part of the church. " The slender octa-
gonal pillars of vast height, which bear the lofty arches connected with the
clerestory of the nave," says Mr. Phillips, " are almost a miracle." The
Refector}', the Frater-House, the Chapter- House, the Abbot's House, and
other remains are worthy of careful examination. The whole is "wonderfully
beautiful and impressive.'

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^i^-

BOLTON PRIORY.

Approaching Bolton from Ilkley, the view is singularly lovely. To our
right is Beamsley Beacon, and beyond are the noble hill of Simon's Seat, the
rich meadow lands, the deep woods of Bolton, the river flowing down the
glorious Vale of Wharfe, and in the centre of the scene the ruins of the
Abbey of Bolton, with an air of beauty, seclusion, and repose, that leaves
nothing to be desired.

The story has often been told of the founding of the famous Priory. One
day, more than seven hundred years ago, a little lad, the heir of William de
Meschines and Cicily de Romille, his wife, might be seen

"In tartan clad, and forest green,

With hound in leash, and hawk in hood,"

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following the heron. He tries to leap from one rock to another at the
" Strid," where the overhanging rocks close in, and between which the river
flows deep down below; but

"The hound hung back, and back he drew
The master and his merlin too ;"

and the boy, young Romille, the heir of the Meschines, was drowned. The
forester who had witnessed the catastrophe hurries homeward with the
tidings, and meets his mistress with the words, "What is good for a boot-
less bene ? " (a hopeless prayer). She replied, '

" ' Endless sorrow,'
For she knew that her son was dead."

Long in darkness she sat, and when she arose her first words were :

"Let there be
In Bolton, on the field of Wharfe,
A stately priory."

BEVERLEY MINSTER.

Beverley was the ancient capital of the East Riding. It stands at the
foot of the York wolds, and has a "staid, respectable aspect, as if aware
of its claims to consideration." The name recalls the melancholy history
of the unfortunate Constance de Beverley, in Sir Walter Scott's poem of
" Marmion." It was one of the three religious centres of Yorkshire, the
others being Ripon and York. The Minster is next in rank to York
Cathedral among the ecclesiastical edifices of the county. The original
building was founded, or, as some say, enlarged and beautified, at the
beginning of the eighth century by St. John of Beverley. Of the date of
the erection of the present Minster there is no record. The oldest parts

belong to the thirteenth century : these include the east end, with portions
of the nave, the remainder being of the Decorated English style. The north
porch, the three western windows in the north aisle of the nave, and the
west front are Perpendicular. " The north porch is," says Mr. Rickman,
" as a panelled front, perhaps unequalled. The door has a double canopy,
the inner an ogee, and the outer a triangle, with beautiful crockets and
tracery, and is flanked by fine buttresses, breaking into niches, and the
space above the canopy to the cornice is panelled. The battlement is com-
posed of rich niches, and the buttresses crowned by a group of four pin-
nacles." What the west front of York is to the Decorated style this is to
the Perpendicular. Like York Minster, there is a large west window to the
nave, and there are two battlement towers 200 feet high for the end of the
aisles, each of which has large and small pinnacles. From the summit of these
towers a magnificent view may be enjoyed over the rich level district, often
wooded, through which the river Hull flows.

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BRIDLINGTON.

Bridlington, or Burlington, as it is often called, is pleasantly situated on
a gentle acclivity in the recess of a beautiful bay, and looks over the fine
dry sands to the best and safest anchorage from the storms that some-
times rage with great fury on this north-eastern coast. Here, in 1779, a
sea fight took place between two English ships, and a squadron under the
command of Paul Jones the pirate. He had spread consternation along
the English shores, and had driven the coasters into port in such numbers
that Bridlington Harbour was filled, and many vessels had to be chained
alongside the pier for security. The battle was fought by moonlight, in full
view of the cliffs, which were crowded with spectators. It lasted two

hours. It is described by Cooper in " The Pilot." Queen Henrietta Maria
landed here in 1643, with arms and ammunition she had purchased in
Holland for her husband by the sale of the crown jewels. Admiral Batten
had been on a cruise to intercept her, but finding she had escaped, he
entered the bay, cannonaded the town, and the Queen was obliged to seek
shelter in a ditch.

Bridlington Priory, of which the nave of the church and the gateway
remain, was founded in 1T06. Some sixty years afterwards the Prior>' was
fortified with walls and ditches, after the plunder of Whitby Abbey by the
Danes.

The parish church consists of the nave of the old Priory, to which ad-
ditions have been made. Bridlington Quay is about a mile from the town,
and its piers, sands, cliffs, sea views, sea bathing, and chalybeate spring
combine to make it a favourite resort.

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SCARBOROUGH.

ScARROROUGH has been called "the queen of watering-places." Its
situation in the valley and on the hills that command an open and beautiful
bay; its firm and smooth sands, that slope down to the sea; the handsome
terraces of well-built houses that rise in an amphitheatre from the shore, and
the wide-spread moors and dales that stretch inland, form a panorama of
unusual interest, and present attractions that allure multitudes for a tempo-
rary visit, or for residence.

The name of the town is probably derived from the Norse Scar, a piece
of rock or cliff; and burgh, a fortified place. In the reign of Stephen the
Castle was erected on the north cliff, and the old town, with narrow dirty
streets, and houses rising tier above tier, clustered under the protection of
the feudal fastness. But if the fortress gave shelter, it also invited attack.
It was taken in 1553 by stratagem by Lord Stafford and his followers, who
dressed as peasants, obtained admission, and then overpowered the garrison.
Hence the proverbial expression about " a Scarborough warning," which
means "a word and a blow ; but the blow first ! " In the time of Charles I.
the Castle was twice besieged by the Parliamentary forces, and eventually
it was dismantled. In 1665 George Fox, the founder of the Society of
Friends, was imprisoned here. He mentions three rooms that he occupied,
one of which faced the sea, and " laying much open, the wind drove in the
rain forcibly, so that water came over his head and ran about the room, so
that he was fain to skim it up with a platter." He states that a threepenny
loaf lasted him for three weeks, and that most of his drink was water with
wormwood steeped in it. In the rebellion of 1774 the castle was for
political purposes put in temporary repair. The precipitous rock on which
it stands rises for 300 feet above the sea. The tower, which was probably
the keep of the ancient castle, survives : it is nearly 100 feet high, and the
walls are about 1 2 feet thick. The valley which sunders the north and
south cliffs of the town is spanned by a handsome iron bridge of four arches,
and is 414 feet long, 75 high, and 14 wide, and it has a remarkably airy and
striking appearance. Beneath flows a stream called Millbeck. The bridge
cost ;^9,ooo. A pleasant walk of about a mile and a half leads to the
summit of Oliver's Mount, so named from an untrue tradition that Cromwell
was present at the siege of Scarborough. Here, from a terrace 600 feet
high, a superb panoramic view may be enjoyed over land and sea, ranging
from Flamborough Head, over the Vale of Pickering, on to the moors near
Whitby.

The mineral waters of the Spa include two springs close on the beach.
They were discovered by a lady in 1620. Subsequently, by the action of a
slight earthquake, they were buried ; but after a careful search they were
retraced.

The harbour of Scarborough is safe and commodious, and its trade is
chiefly in corn and provisions. The town has manufactories of sail-cloth
and cordage. It returns two Members to Parliament.

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RIEVAUX ABBEY.

"River's Abbey," as it is often called, is one of the most beautiful ruins
in Yorkshire. By the high road it is between two and three miles from
Helmsley. In approaching the Abbey the visitor should obtain his first
view from the terrace that was made by Mr. Duncombe about the middle of
the last century. Passing among a mass of evergreens, the traveller sud-
denly finds himself on a broad grassy level, at either end of which is a
Grecian temple. " Below winds the stream of the Rye, througli its own
vale, into which four lesser valleys open ; all with narrow tl' reads of green
sward lying between their steep wooded sides. Com and pasture fields
crown the nearer hills, the highest of which is almost covered with wood.

w^^

ffurauv riU-ry

Bolder and more rugged hill-crests look over from the top of Ryedale ; and
all around, in the distance, sweeps the purple heather." On the left bank
of the river rises the great roofless church, its walls decked with ferns and
grasses, and half clothed with ivy. " I went down," said Dorothy Words-
worth, " to look at the ruins : thrushes singing, cattle feeding among the
ruins of the abbey ; green hillocks about the ruins ; these hillocks scattered
over with grovelets of wild roses, and covered with wild flowers."

The principal remains of the Abbey are those of the choir and transepts,
and of the Refectory. The nave was probably the oldest part of the builil-
ing, and of Norman construction ; but only its foundations survive. The
south front has two rows of fine lancet windows : it is beautifully clothed
with ivy. The Refectory is in a good state of preservation : it was a noble
apartment, 125 feet long by 37 broad. The Monastery of Rievaux was in-
stituted in the year 1131 by monks sent over by .St. Bernard.

89 2

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WHITBY PRIORY.

Whitby has been from of old " a great fischar towne," and one of the
most pleasant of the Yorkshire watering-places. The busy harbour, the
fishing boats, the ships away towards the offing, the pleasant inland country,
the healthful sea breezes, the beetling cliffs, and " high Whitby's cloistered
pile," standing at their very verge 250 feet above the sea, afford abundant
attractions to the visitor. The venerable Priory is an excellent specimen
of the Early English style. It was founded ad. 657, and its inmates were
monks and nuns of the Benedictine order, the abbess, contrary to custom,
being superior to the abbot. The north and east sides are best preserved ;
but all are weather-worn. The east end has six lancet windows in two tiers.

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Ihe side aisles are divided from the centre by pointed arches resting on
clustered columns. Above are the triforium and clerestory windows. The
north transept is nearly perfect. The central tower fell in 1730; but two
of the strong pillars, consisting of sixteen clustered columns, remain. The
southern side of the church is in ruins. Many interesting legends are told

" How sea-fowls' pinions fail.
As over Whitby's towers they sail,
And sinking down with flutterings faint,
They do their homage to the saint.'"

The jet works of Whitby are famous. Ornaments of excellent design
may be obtained in the shops ; and how anciently this "black amber" has
been worked here may be inferred from the fact that necklaces of jet beads
found in British tumuli on the moors may be seen in the museum. Alum
shale also is dug in this neighbourhood. It looks and feels like slate soaked
in grease.

RICHMOND.

On a little amphitheatre of hills that rise above the mountain river of the
Swale, that flovus over a bed rocky and broken, stands the picturesque town
of Richmond ; and cresting a precipice above rises the great castle of the
Breton earls, magnificent even in decay. Alan the Red, the first Norman
Earl of Richmond, and the founder of the castle, appears to have enjoyed
the special favour of the Conqueror, for he received from William no fewer
than one hundred and sixty-four manors in this county, besides three hundred
in other parts of the kingdom.

The castle is approached by a lane from the market-place. The great
keep-tower, stern and massive, rises loo feet high, with scarcely a tuft of

vegetation on its walls, and is in almost the exact condition in which it was
constructed by Earl Conan more than seven hundred years ago. The walls
are ii feet thick. From the summit a magnificent view is obtained. "On
one side the eye ranges up the hollow of Swaledale, and on tlie other over
the fertile plain of Mowbray, to the distant towers of York, and to the
estuary of the Tees. Far below, t!ie river foams and dashes over its rocky
bed, through a grand broken foreground, with trees and hanging banks."
The " riche munt " of Richmond lies beneath.

Descending the keep and turning to the left, we enter Robin Hood's Tower
— probably a modern name. On the ground floor is a small c hapel : a
narrow loophole formed the east window, and the sill of the vindow served
as the altar. The next is the " Golden Tower," so named from a tradition
that treasure was found here. In the south-east corner of the castle area is
"ScoUand's Hall," so called from the Lord of Bedale. It is 72 feet long,
and is considered one of the most perfect Norman halls, that form distinct
I buildings, that remain. It was probably the banciueting-room of the castle.

it.J>^

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BARNARD CASTLE.

Barnard Castle is fifteen milos from Darlington, and forms a convenient
station for visiting Rokeby and the most interesting parts of Teesdale. Sir
Walter Scott tells us how the warder at Barnard Castle from his " watch-
tower high " surveyed the deep woods " by Brackenbury's dungeon tower,"

" Where Tees full many a fathom low
Wears with his rage no common foe,
Condemned to mine a channelled way
O'er solid sheets of marble grey ;"

and where

"Many a tributary stream
Each from its own dark dell shall gleam

Staindrop, Balder, Greta,

•' And silver Lune, from Stanmore wild,
And fairy Thorsgill's murmuring child,
And last and least, but loveliest still.
Romantic Deepdale's slender rill."

The tower of Barnard Castle stands on the rocky bank of the Tees.
The Castle was founded by and derives its name from Barnard Baliol, the
ancestor of the short-lived and unfortunate dynasty of that name, which
succeeded to the Scottish throne under the patronage of Edward I. and
Edward III., and it remained in the possession of his family the greater
part of two centuries, when it was confiscated. Baliol's Tower, shown to the
left in our engraving, is a round tower of great size, and bears marks of
remote antiquity. In the Civil War the fortress was held by Sir Harry
Vane.

The ruins of four courts remain, each separated from the others by moat
and wall. On the west side the Castle overlooks the river, above which thp
cliff rises some 80 feet.

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DURHAM.

The Cathedral and Castle of Durham occupy a commanding position.
They stand on a lofty eminence that is almost an island, around which the
river Wear winds its way. The hill is partially enclosed by the ancient city
walls, and is skirted with hanging gardens that descend to the river, on each
side of which are delightful public walks called the " Banks.'' The name of
Durham indicates the character of the site — Dur^ a hill, and holm, a river
island. About the year 995 this spot became the last resting-place of St.
Cuthbert of Lindisfarne. Sir Walter Scott tells how the remains of St.
Cutlibcrt had been deposited by his brethren in " fair Melrose,"

" But though alive he loved it well,
Nor there his reliques might repose,
For, wondrous tale to tell,"

the saint rode forth in his stone coffin as a barque that floated " light as

gossamer," until " After many wanderings past,

He chose his lordly seat at last.
Where his cathedral, huge and vast,

Looks down upon the Wear ;
There, deep in Durham's gothic shade,
His relics are in secret laid."

The Cathedral was begun in the reign of William Rufus, and was erected
in the form usually adopted by Norman architects, — a long cross with two
turrets at the west end, and between them a large and richly ornamented
arched door of entrance. It is not only " a perfect specimen " of Norman
architecture, but presents a most instructive series of examples illustrating
the gradual changes of the English style to the beginning of the fifteenth
century. The length of the Cathedral from east to west, including the
Galilee Chapel, is more than 500 feet; the widtli of nave and aisles 80 feet;
and the height is 70 feet ; while the central tower, usually called the
Lantern Tower, is 214 feet high.

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ALNWICK.

Alnwick is thirty-four miles from Newcastle and 3x0 from London. It
is situated on the Alne, and is a borough by prescription, having grown up
under the protection of the Dukes of Northumberland, whose noble Castle
stands on an eminence on the south side of the river opposite the town.
The Castle was first built at the time of the Conquest; it subsequently
passed into the possession of the Bishop of Durham, and was granted in
1309 to the Percys, with the wardenship of the East Marches. It was in
this capacity that Hotspur met Douglas at the Battle of Chevy Chase, when
Douglas was killed, and the Percys have held the lordship ever since. The
Castle was long suffered to go into decay, but it was complelely repaired

ALNWICK CASTLE.

several years since, and is now one of the most magnificent specimens of an
old baronial residence in the kingdom. The building is of freestone, and is
in the Gothic style. The walls enclose five acres. The picturesque grounds
through which the Alne flow-s are five miles in length. Within them are two
pillars, one of which marked the spot where Malcolm of Scotland was killed,
in 1093, when besieging the Castle, and William the Lion was taken prisoner
in 1172. Here also are the remains of two ancient abbeys, one of which
was "founded by a Crusader, because the site reminded him of Mount
Carmel."

The interior of the Castle is very beautiful ; and the Chapel has an
exquisitely painted window, and its ceiling is copied from that of King's
College, Cambridge. Formerly the town was surrounded by battlements,
bat these have disappeared; only the Bondgate, built by the famous Hotspur,

remams.

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BERWICK-ON-TWEED.

EervvICK-o:\-Tweed was for many centuries the military key of ScotlancL
Though strongly fortified, its commanding position seems to have invited
attack : it was repeatedly taken by assault, and there is scarcely a foot of
ground in the neighbourhood that has not been the scene of conflict. On
its capture by Edward I. it is said that the streets "ran with blood like a
river." Eventually, in 1482, it was ceded to the English, after which it
remained '' as a gate between the kingdoms " barred against the Scotch, but
through which the English could pass at pleasure. All that now remain of
the castle are two towers and parts of the wall and ditches. The wall
supplies a promenade from which wide prospects may be enjoyed of the

S£kmChO,y TWEED

ROYAL BORDER BRIDGE.

country, the sea, and the Fern and Holy Islands. Two bridges here cross
the river Tweed : one of fifteen arches, built in the reigns of James I. and
Charles I., at a cost of ^,^1 5,000, occupying twenty-four years in the build-
ing and paid for out of the national resources ; the other, the Royal Border
Bridge, built by the Railway Company. It stretches from Castle Hill to
Tweedmouth, at a height of 126 feet, and cost ;!{^i 20,000. It is 667 yards
long, and was finished in a little over three years. The foundations of the
piers were laid on bearing-piles, each capable of carrying 70 tons. The
whole is built of ashlar, with a " hearting " of rubble, e.xcept the river parts
of the arches, which are constructed with bricks laid in cement. The Town
Hall has a clock tower 150 feet high.

Much of the produce of the interior is shipped here in Berwick schooners
and clipper ships. The salr-'on fisheries of the Tweed have declined in
value. The North Durham coal field extends into the county, and there are
pits in the vicinity.

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KELSO.

The burgh or barony of Kelso occupies a position of singular beauty on
the left bank of the Tweed, at its contiuence with the Teviot. Standing on
the bridge and looking up the river, we see the two floods unite ; the ruins
of Roxburgh Castle ; the palace of Fleurs, the grounds of which slope down
to the margin of the Tweed ; and the remains of the venerable Abbey ; and
behind all, the hills of Stitchel and Mellerstain, and the summits of the
Eildon Hills. The clean and goodly town, the pleasant modern houses
scattered on the margin of the Tweed and on the hills around, and the rich
agricultural district, all tell us of busy trade and fair prospects ; but the

ancient Abbey calls our thoughts far away to Saxon and Norman times.

When David I. was Earl of Huntington, he invited some Benedictine
monks to Selkirk, and when he succeeded to the Scottish crown, in 1124, he
removed the convent from Selkirk to Kelso, within view of his royal castle.
The town suffered severely during the border wars ; the monastery was re-
peatedly laid waste by fire, and the transepts, the centre lower, and the west
end are the chief parts which remain. After the Reformation, "a low
gloomy vault was thrown over the transept, to make it serve as a parish
church, and it continued to be used for this purpose till 1771, when one
Sunday, during divine service, the congregation were alarmed by the falling
of a piece of plaster from the roof, and hurried out in terror, believing that
the vault over their heads was giving way; and this, together with an ancient
prophecy, attributed to Thomas the Rhymer, ' that the kirk should fall when
at the fullest,' caused the church to be deserted, and it has never since had
an opportunity of tumbling on a full congregation." The principal manu-
facture of Kelso is that of shoes.

■ii^r*

MELROSE.

The Vale of the Tweed is everywhere beautiful. Villages and hamlets
nestle on wooded slopes that rise from the verge of the winding river, and
wide-spread pastoral hills and plains present a diversity of quiet beaut)-
seldom surpassed. Close to the town of Melrose — too close on some
accounts — is the famous Abbey, the noblest ecclesiastical ruin in Scotland.
It was founded by David I. in 1 136, and between the reigns of Robert Bruce
and James IV. was rebuilt. It is in the form of a Latin cross. The best
view is obtained from the south-east corner of the churchyard. There in the
" pale moonlight "

" When the broken arches are black in night,
And each shafted oriel glimmers white ;
When the cold light's uncertain shower
Streams on the mined central tower ;
When buttress and buttress, alternately,
Seem framed of ebon and ivory ;
When silver edges and imagery,
And the scrolls that teach thee to live and die ; "

we "view St. David's ruined pile" at its best. The principal entrance is by
a richly moulded Gothic portal m the south transept. Here is a magnificent
window, 24 feet in height, divided by four mullions, which at the top inter-
lace each other in graceful curves. The west end of the nave and five of
the chapels included in it are roofless. The choir is built in the form of half
a Greek cross. The cloisters formed a quadrangle on the north-west side.
A large marble stone in its chancel is jiointed out as the monument of
Alexander II. Many of the mighty Douglases lie buried here, and here
the remains of the celebrated wizard Michael Scott found a resting-place.
The heart of King Robert Bruce was dei)Ositcd in Melrose : a small tablet
marks the spot.

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ABBOTSFORD.

Leaving Melrose, and passing the deservedly popular V/averley hydro-
pathic establishment situated on Skirmish Hill, overlooking the Tweed, the
position of Abbotsford is singularly beautiful. It stands on a rising ground
that overhangs the south side of the Tweed, which here makes a beautiful
sweep round the mansion. The building itself and the grounds and woods
were all the entire creation of the great novelist, who found it occupied by
a humble farmstead that bore the name of Cartley Hole. The woods are
threaded in all directions by winding paths planned by Sir Walter himself,
the trees of which were pruned and tended by his own hand. At every
point of special interest, especially near the cascades in the dells, rustic

aOTSFORD

seats invite the visitor to rest and enjoy the beauty and romance of the
scene.

To the countless objects of interest with which Abbotsford is enriched,
it is impossible for us to do the least justice. The walls are hung with
coats armorial, richly blazoned, of the families who kept the borders, or
with portraits of men renowned in Scottish or English history. Here they
are panelled with carved oak from the palace of Dunfermline, and there
they are covered with ancient armour and military implements. The
library is a magnificent room, 50 feet by 60 feet. It contains 20,000
volumes. Every room is furnished with objects of interest ; and thus, in
the armoury, are Rob Roy's gun, the sword of Montrose, the pistol of
Grahame of Claverhouse, pistols found in Napoleon's carriage after Water-
loo ; Hofer's blunderbuss ; the hunting flask of James VI. ; the iron mask
worn by Wishart the martyr, at the stake, to prevent his addressing the
people.

The attendant who explains the curiosities is unusually intelligent.

"e?t5—

EDINBURGH.

Edinburgh has not undeservedly received the title of the " modern
Athens." Not only does the distant view of Edinburgh from the Firth of
Forth resemble that of Athens from the ^^gean Sea, but the Highlands of
Scotland have also been compared with the neighbourhood of Athens.
Edinburgh consists of the old and new towns. They are separated by a
deep valley formerly occupied by water, and called the North Loch ; now
it is a great railway terminus, standing amid pleasure grounds in the heart
of the city. Edinburgh on the east is overlooked by Salisbury Craigs and
Arthur's Seat ; on the south-west by the hills of Pentland, Braid, and Black-
ford ; and on the north-west by the wooded heights of Corstorphine. The
architecture of the old town is characterized by what has been justly called
picturesque disorder; that of the new by chaste design, massive outline,
and symmetrical proportion.

Among the points of interest most worthy of being seen are the National
Gallery, on the Mound, in which there is a ver>' celebrated picture by
Gainsborough ; the Castle, in the Crown Room of which are the Scottish
Regalia, consisting of crown, sceptre, (Sec, &c., as also the badge of the
George and Dragon, said to be the most superb jewel of the kind in exist-
ence. In the same apartment is the oak chest in which the Regalia were
deposited at the date of the Union, and which remained hidden until dis-
covered by Sir Walter Scott in 1818. Admission free.

Holyrood Palace is intimately associated with the career of Mary Queen
of Scots. Queen Mary's Room is here shown, w.th her bed in the same state
as when last occupied by her. The small closet adjoining was the favourite
retreat of the Queen, and it was in this room that the slaughter of David
Rizzio took place, he being one of a party invited to supper by Queen Mary.
The secret stair in the wall by which Darnley, Douglas, and the rest of the con-
spirators gained access to the Queen's apartments is shown, as also the spot
where the body of Rizzio was placed after the tragedy had been enacted.

Upon the summit of Calton Hill stands Nelson's Monument, the top of
which can be reached by a circular stair. The view from hence is com-
manding. The Burns Monument stands in the Regent Road, opposite the
High School, and contains some few relics associated with his career. The
monument to Sir Walter Scott is another of the chief objects of interest in
the city. It cost ;!^ 15,000, is 200 feet high, and a staircase ascends within
its masonry to a gallery a few feet from the top, from whence a bird's-eye \iew
of the city may be enjoyed. Nor should the House of John Knox be left
unvisited. It stands in the Nether Bow, High Street, and is open on Wed-
nesdays and Saturdays from ten till four. Admission sixpence. Hard by is
St. Giles's Cathedral, where the great Reformer preached.

One of the peculiarities of Scottish character comes out conspicuously at
Edinburgh. Few peoples are so passionately attached to their family asso-
ciations as the Scotch ; in no point does this manifest itself with greater pro-
minence than in connection with life assurance. In Edinburgh are the head-
(luarters of some of the leading societies. The architecture of the city owes
much to the buildings erected by them — notably in St. Andrew's Square.

i^/p

THE CLYDE.

The Clyde, though regarded as the third river in Scotland, is the first in
commercial importance. Taking its rise in the mountains of the South
Highlands, some 1,400 feet above the sea, and at no great distance from
the sources of the Tweed and the Annan, it finds its onward downward way,
receiving in its course many a tributary stream, until near Carstairs it nearly
doubles its volume by uniting with the Douglas Water from the Houghshaw
Hills. Between this point and Lanark, in its descent from the tableland on
its upper course, about 650 feet high, it forms three principal and several
minor falls, celebrated for their beauty. The upper fall is Bonnington Lynn,
two miles from Lanark ; it may be approached by a romantic path through

FALLS OF rwrcLYDr

the grounds of Bonnington House. Above this cataract the water flows
slowly; but all at once it bends towards the north-east, and throws itself
over a perpendicular rock of about 30 feet into a deep hollow or basrin. A
dense mist continually hovers over this boiling cauldron. Immediately
below th-e first fall the river hurries along with prodigious rapidity, boiling
and foaming over its narrow and rocky channel. The banks are very steep,
and, at one point, the river struggles through a chasm of not more than four
feet, where it may be stepped over. Half a mile below is Cora Lynn, where
the river takes three leaps down some 84 feet. Stonebyres, the lowest of
the falls, is about 80 feet down. Above it hang lofty crags fringed with
wood, and below is a deep abyss, whence clouds of stormy spray and the
roar of the torrent constantly arise. The channel of the Clyde and its banks
are near the fall formed of huge tabular masses of old red sandstone ; on-
wards the course is along a deep trough in the coal formation, through rich
sylvan country, till it reaches Glasgow, where tlie high banks spread out
into comparatively level tracts. At the city vessels of 2, coo tons can sail.

lOI

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'3^

DUMBARTON.

Dumbarton is on the left bank of the Leven, near its confluence with
the Clyde, thirteen miles north-west of Glasgow. The ancient castle stands
on the sides and summit of a steep, conical, basaltic rock, with two peaks
that rise boldly from the alluvial i)lain ; it is a place of great strength and
antiquity. From hence one of the most extensive views in Scotland may be
enjoyed. Wallace was here confined previously to being sent to England,
the governor being then Sir John Menteith, and the highest peak of the rock
is still named Wallace's Seat : it is 560 feet high. Looking to the north,
Loch Lomond, the pride of the Scottish lakes, is observed, girdled in with

DUMBARTON CASTLE.

mountains, above which Ben Lomond rears its pointed summit. Between
the lake and Dumbarton is the rich Vale of Leven. The Clyde is seen
sweeping away to the west in mighty reaches, and expanding into a great
estuary, while beyond are lofty mountains, whose rugged outlines are soft-
ened in the purple distance. In one of the apartments of the castle a huge
two-handed sword is preserved, said to have belonged to Wallace. Dumbar-
ton is one of the four fortresses which it was stipulated by the Act of Union
should be preserved and garrisoned. The town consists chiefly of one long
irregular street. There is a good bridge with four arches, which leads into
a suburb called Bridge End. Vessels of large size can pass up to the town
at high water. The town was a royal burgh in 1222. In the Vale of Leven
near Dumbarton are print, cotton, and bleach fields, and in other parts of
the county coal and ironstone, freestone and limestone, are worked. These
are succeeded by old red sandstone resting on primary slates. The surface
is generally mountainous, and the tracts of arable land are of limited
extent.

102

STIRLING.

Stirling occupies a position of commanding interest in natural position
and in the royal and military annals of Scotland. The town itself has little
to attract ; but as we approach and enter the Castle our best anticipations
are more than realized. The fortress stands on a precipitous height from
whence we look down on the river Forth, and on a wide-spread scene
crowded with associations of historic moment.

At the accession of the Stuarts the Castle became a royal residence. Here
James II. and James V. were born. The palace was built by James V. in the
form of a quadrangle, that on the south side being the oldest part. On the

SriKLI.NG C.\STLIi.

west side of the square is a long building, formerly a cliapel, which was
erected by James VI. Underneath the outer wall on the west is a narrow
road leading from t'.e town and descending the precipice behind the Castle.
It is called Ballangeich, meaning the "windy pass," tlirough which James V.
was in the habit of going in various disguises into the town. On the south
side of the Castle Hill is a valley where tournaments used to be held. To
the south-west lies the King's Park, and to the east of it are tlie King's
Gardens, which retain the curious forms into which they wer; thrown by
the gardeners of ancient times.

We now turn to gaze on the magnificent view spread around. To the
north and east are the Ochil Hills; the Firth of Forth winds through the
Carse of Stirling amid fertile fields and luxuriant woods; on the west is the
Vale of Menteith, with the blue Highland mountains in the distance ; to
the south are the field of Bannockburn and the Campsie Hills ; and to the
east are the Abbey Craig, the ruins of Cambuskennelh Abbey, and far
away the Castle of Edinburgh and Arthur's Seat.

103

^«e3

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PERTH.

Perth is a city, a capital of a county, an ancient royal burgh, and one
of the finest towns in Scotland. It is thirty-three miles from Edinburgh.
As we stand on the splendid bridge of ten arches, and 900 feet long, that
leads across the Tay to the north, watch the ample and lordly river that
flows beneath, or survey the handsome city with its spacious streets and
squares, its towers and spires, and two large fertile meadows or Inches, or
observe how the eastern bank of the river rises, and for more than a mile
opens up a line of villas, that peep I'hrough masses of willows, limes, and
sycamores stretching down to the water's edge ; or as we look away to the
north, where perhaps the snow still lingers on the Grampians, we do not

wonder that Pennant speaks of Perth and its landscapes as the " glory of
Scotland."

In consequence of its importance and nearness to the royal palace of
Scone, Perth was long the metropolis of the kingdom. Here Parliaments
were held, and here many of the nobility took up their residence. In a
monastery on the north side of the town James I. was assassinated. In the
reign of Edward I. Perth was in possession of the English, but was besieged
and taken by Robert Bruce. In 17 15 and 1745 it was occupied by the
rebel Highland army, and the Pretender was here proclaimed king.

Perth has fine county buildings, public schools of good repute, a library
and museum, many noble churches, and varied manufactures. Shipbuilding
is actively carried on. It is an important junction of several lines of railway;
and the position of the city at the nead of the navigation of the Tay greatly
facilitates trade. The objects of interest in the neighbourhood are so
numerous that it would require a volume to do justice to them. The inci-
dents in Sir Walter Scott's " Fair Maid of Perth '■' are chiefly laid in this
ancient city.

104

OUR IRON ROADS.

Anv one who passes along the Euston RoaJ cannot fail to be impressed
with the magnificent Gothic building which dominates the neighbourhood.
The genius of Sir Gilbert Scott has been aided by the wise munificence of
the Directorate, and the St. Pancras Station of the Midland Railway is at
once an ornament to the Metropolis, a fitting terminus to a great Line, and
a sound paying investment. Some who watch the charming sky-line of the
great pile of buildings will recall that small roadside inn, where half a century
ago a few shrewd coalowners met to discuss a danger which threatened
their interests. Rumours of possible competition had arisen in connection
with the new line which led to Nottingham, and the sense of a great struggle
between land transit and water transit was fully before them. Negotiations
with the Canal Companies failed to obtain the desired concessions, and as
a last resource the members then present put their names down to construct
a line of railway from Pinxton to Leicester. This was the first step taken in
the creation of that great line which to-day stretches its arms from the far
North to the Land's End. From the commencement the struggle has never
ceased : at one time running into fierce rivalry, at other times striving to
form, by association with other larger Railway Companies, arrangements
which would develop and consolidate the great network of the English
Railway System. The demand for connection with the heart of business
has brought into being the Metropolitan Extension, and at the present
moment the booking-offices at Moorgate Street Station issue tickets for the
local traffic, and for the most remote station of the system.

No brief epitome could adequately describe the complex arrangements
which a great railway involves, and this is essentially true of the railway
whose traflnc is gathered from Edinburgh and Glasgow, from Buxton and
Sheffield, from Liverpool and London. Its trains Hit through the lar-famed
scenery of the Westmoreland Lakes, and extend to the soft and tempting
beauty of Somerset and Dorset. The system is, however, essentially that
which its name implies— the Midland. It is one of the great trunk roads
that has opened up the heart of England to the requirements of commerce,
and to the use and convenience of the great travelling public. By immense
and unwavering energy it has created a close union between the activities
of the great Metropolis, and all the most essential and representative
centres in England. One of its feeders stands at Liverpool— the great
water-gate for America; another finds an opening through Carlisle, and
gathers its traffic from the energetic and ever-growing city of Glasgow ; a
third branches away to the east, and finds its terminus beneath the shadow
of Edinburgh Castle ; a fourth sweeps away to the west, and embraces the

105 1

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Our Iron Roads.

commercial necessities of Bristol, and the fashionable centre of Bath. Pass
ing onward it holds out its hand to Gloucester, Worcester, and Cheltenham
—famous alike for their cathedrals and public schools. Stretching yet
farther away, it glides at length into the densely populated neighbourhood
of Birmingham. Nearer its own original home the lines flit to and fro with
ceaseless activity. A branch descends to Buxton, the great fashionable in-
land resort and world-famed spa. A second shoots direct to Trent, and
finds its way through Nottingham and Newark to Lincoln. A third de-
scends and branches right and left to Rugby and Peterboro'. Far and wide,
through every description of scenery, and through every variety of English
life, this great railway pushes its way. No nobler scenery is to be found in
England than that which belongs to the Derbyshire district : Matlock Bath, I
Miller's Dale, and Monsal Dale, are each specific in their character, and «

all-embracing in their beauty.

Nor are the elements of historic and literary associations altogether absent
from the route. Just to mention two sites near London. The first is that
of St. Albans, the seat of the new bishopric, and the locality of a civilization
before London had risen into position. Here are to be seen the remains J

of old walls, whose great extent and massiveness have earned for them the \

name of the Verulam Hills, Verulam being the title known to the Romans.
The church of St. Albans, which is being converted into the Cathedral,
earned its title from Saint Alban the Martyr, the story of whose death \vas
inscribed in marble and built into his prison walls. The church is a mag-
nificent Norman edifice, the nave being the longest of any in the country.
A little farther from London is Bedford, a great centre for agricultural im-
plements, and of special literary interest from its association with John
Bunyan — the greatest allegorist the world has produced. He was born at
Elstow, close to Bedford, and wrote his " Pilgrims' Progress " within the
walls of Bedford Gaol. To-day there are millions of people who read the
charming history his fancy created, and who share in imagination the hopes,
the trials, and the final triumph of Christian. 'T is to Bedford our memo-
ries turn when we recall the singular biography of this great writer, and it
is to Bedford Gaol and its occupant that the memory of men will turn so
long as Christianity has votaries or literary genius is appreciated.

Farther down the line is Kettering, the original Baptist INIission House ;
yet farther on is Rushton, famous (or infamous) as having been tke spot
where the conspirators of the Gunpowder Plot met and matured their plans.
The house was well chosen, standing alone and lonely. It bears the name
of the Triangular Lodge. Yet farther, and we arrive at ISLirket Harboro',
the locality where Cromwell dated his despatches after the Battle of Naseby.
So the train sweeps on through scenes historic and literary — dashing over
level crossings, through deep cuttings, across bridges which span rivers
and water-courses until it reaches Leicester — the spot from whence Richard
went forth to fight his last Batde of Bosworth Field. So, step by step,
each foot of ground rises into dignity from past associations.

(3^ — Q^

MATLOCK.

The railway that passes from Ambergate by Matlock to Rowsley was
originally constructed as a portion of " the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock,
and Midland Junction," ^vhich was to extend to Cheadle, near Manchester,
and form part of a route through the midlands to London. In this scheme
the Manchester and Birmingham Railway (now included in the London
and North-Western) was interested. Subsequently a change came over its
policy. The Xorth-Western system was incorporated with direct lines of its
own to London, and sympathy with the Ambergate project was turned into
alienation. Eventually the larger scheme shrank to the modest proportions
of a line eleven and a half miles long, from Ambergate to Rowslej-, which
the Midland Company leased, and has recently purchased.

-3

Jilany spots of the greatest interest are passed by this little line. Leaving
Ambergate Station, the train runs through the woods of Crich Chase, and
Crich Hill itself towers nearly i,ooo feet high to the right, — a wonderful
mass of limestone that has been thrust through the horizontal strata of
millstone grit, — and it is capped on the summit by a look-out tower, known
for many a mile round as Crich Stand. Now we reach A\'hatstandwell ;
and soon afterwards Cromford Station and ALitlock.

Tens of thousands of travellers come yearly to Matlock to enjoy and
re-enjoy the charms of the Dale, the High Tor, Masson, and the Heights
of Abraham. Approaching from the south, the train j)asses through Crom-
ford Tunnel, Willersley Cutting, and debouches on to tlie side of a hill,
from which we look down into the valley and up the lofty wooded rocks
above. The deep winding ravine of Matlock Dale extends nearly three
miles in length, and is bounded on the one side by limestone precipices,
curiously stratified and diversified by alternations of rock and wood, and

107

Matlock.

on the other by rounded hills, finely timbered and dotted over with cottages
and villas sheltered behind the trees or built on the verge of craggy heights
which seem to defy the possibility of approach, while down in the valley
the Derwent sweeps majestically along.

The High Tor is the glory of Matlock. It lifts ils bold front of naked
limestone rock, torn with rents and fissures, and chequered with mosses,
lichens, and ivy, to a height of more than 400 feet, while the slopes are
covered far up with a dense mass of wood and underwood, hazels, honey-
suckles, roses, and brambles ; the tall elm, the mountain ash, the drooping
willow, the gnarled oak, and the pensile birch mingling their branches in
tangled luxuriance, and overhanging the glittering waters of the river. The

L3*»-

^ yp^r-^'

High Tor is easy of access, the grounds being laid out with ornamental
walks, and each turn brings fresh beauties into view. Near the summit,
from a narrow ledge of rock that runs round the very verge of the Tor, the
visitor looks from this giddy height down on Matlock Bath.

On the opposite side of the river are the pine-covered Heights of Abra-
ham, and beyond this the glorious nill Masson, from whence, after a toil-
some ascent, the whole Vale of the Derwent can be seen far away to the
north-west, and a sea of hill and dale stretching over much of three
counties comes into view. The objects of interest in Matlock are more
than we can stay to describe : the Caverns, old as Roman times ; the Speed-
well Mine, the High Tor Grotto, the Petrifying Wells, the Medicinal Spring-s,
the Museums, the Lovers' Walk might all detain our attention; but we must
hie our way back to the station, and in a few minutes shall be passing
northwards through tunnels that pierce the base of the High Tor itself, and
bring us to Matlock Bridge, and the noble valley of Darley Dale.

108

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CHATSWORTH.

The home of the Cavendishes lies within a wide-spreading park of some
eleven miles circumference, and under the smile of richly timbered high
land. It is one of the most representative houses of our English aristocracy,
and its fame travels not on account of its mere grandeur, but from that far
higher reputation of being typical of culture, munificence, and brain power.
More than once has the trained thought associated with its development
been of national use. It was from Chats worth that the idea of the building
of the first great Exhibition took its rise, and stands to-day on Sydenham
Hill ; and it was equally from Chatsworth and its hothouses that the Vu-
ioria rc;ia blossomed into life and glorious beauty, amid the changing
chills of an English clime. The same general characteristics are manifested

CHATSWORTH.

\J^-

within the house itself Here are grouped statues by Canova. Thorwaldsen,
and other celebrated men \ here is the Adrian Vase from Rome ; and in
connection with the mineral fossils, (S:c., is a splendid emerald, purchased
from the Emperor of Brazil, and said to be the most perfect gem of its kind
in the world.

In the Lower Gallery are some pictures that are unique of their kind : — two
landscapes by Claude and Titian ; the " Consecration of Thomas a Becket
as Archbishop of Canterbury," by Van Eyck ; the "Virgin and Joseph gazing
at tlie Infant Jesus," by Murillo ; with many others. The Upper Gallery con-
tains a large number of original sketches by the most eminent masters of
the Italian, Venetian, Flemish, Spanish, and other schools. In the Billiard-
Room is a splendid portrait of Georgiana, the beautiful Duchess of Devon-
shire, painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds. In the State Drawing-Room there
is a cliarming portrait of Mary Queen of Scots, which will deser^•e an ad-

109

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Haddoji Hall.

L9^

ditional interest from the flict that she was a prisoner at Chatsvvorih before
the present house was built, and for some considerable periods during the
years 1570, 1573, 1577, 1578, and 1581. The rooms are pointed out which
are built in the same position as those originally occupied by the unfortu-
nate Queen. They are, however, dull, and appear to have been chosen
for seclusion. In the Leather Room is an ancient chair which was used by
the royal prisoner at Fotheringay Castle, where she was last confined, and
which was the place of her execution, the scene of which has been so mag-
nificently described by Froude.

In the Library are some of the first editions of Shakespeare's plays; some
of the rarest impressions of Caxton's works ; some of the most perfect of
illuminated manuscripts, and the celebrated Liber Vcritatis of Claude, con-
taining draAvings of all the pictures by that great artist. Among the pecu-
liarities of the libraries is one point which is usually much noticed : the
doors to the rooms are made to resemble bookcases, so that it is difficult
to detect the imitation from the reality. The oak carvings throughout the
house are specially worthy of attention, from their perfect finish and great
artistic skill. In the grounds one of the most notable objects of interest is
the so-called Weeping Willow made out of copper, but presenting the ap-
pearance of a real tree, which by a hydraulic arrangement pours forth from
its twigs and leaves a copious shower of water. To say that the grounds are
beautiful, both in original design and in their general condition, is only to
express very feebly a simple truth ; the point will come out more clearly if
we refer to the fact that for their perfect arrangement and condition they
enjoy European reputation.

HADDON HALL.

A mile and a half from Rowsley, and two miles from Bakewell Station, but
hidden from the traveller by a tunnel through which he passes, lies Haddon
Hall. Around it clusters a weird interest of ghost stories and haunted rooms.
Something, no doubt, is due to the sombre gravity of decay, something
also to the gloom inseparable from the type of architecture.

It is said that Mrs. Radcliffe often slept at Haddon Hall whilst engaged
on the '' Mysteries of Udolpho," and some portions of the building itself
would help to recall scenes from that book. In one room, behind the
tapestry, is a hidden doorway leading by a steep flight of narrow steps into
the Great Court. In another portion— the North-west Tower — there is a
small room, so placed and guarded as to suggest the idea of a dungeon
aboveground, as the bolts and bars are on the outside of the doors. At
every step the past rises before the visitor in its grim reality, for the build-
ing, as it now stands, is one of the most perfect baronial residences which
exist at the present time. The foundations of Haddon Hall were laid before
the date of the Conquest, and in its architectural variations can still be

110

C?^'

Haddon Hall.

traced the varying epochs at which different portions were constructed,
thus —

South aisle of the Chapel and portion of south front

Great Hall and Offices and hall porch, &c.

Eastern portion of Chapel r.n 1 Upper Court

Western range of buildings

Long Gallery, gardens and terraces, pulpit, &c.

Haddon Hall was in the occupation of the Dukes of Rutland at the early
part of last century, the first duke, who was created by Queen Anne, having
kept 140 retainers at Haddon, and open house for twelve days at Christmas.
Gradually Belvoir Castle superseded Haddon Hall, until the latter became

1070 — 1250
1250— 1380
1380 — 1470

'470—1550
1550— 1620

IIAI'lMiN 11 AI.I,.

what it now is — a mere memento of the past. Some portions of the old
structure tell its tale with great vividness. The Banqueting Hall still tells
of the days when baron and retainers dined at llie same table, and when
men sat above or below tlie salt in accordance with their rank. In the
underground portion we have beer cellars, wine cellars, immense kitchens
and fireplaces, huge chopping-blocks, and a massive wooden table, hollowed
out into basins for a kneading-trough. All tell the same tale — an immense
household, a rough state of living, and a profuse hospitality. The gardens,
which attract considerable interest, are divisible into four terraces, and are
much esteemed for their beauty. Dorothy Vernon eloped from here with
Sir John Manners, her father having refused his consent to their union.
Through their marriage the Haddon Hall estate and other property eventu-
ally passed to the Rutland family. The view from the Eagle Tower em-
braces a large extent of most beautiful country.

Ill

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MONSAL DALE.

MoNSAL Dale, along the western height of which the Midland Railway
runs, has been called " the Arcadia of the Peak." The best way to see it
is to leave the train at Longstone Station and to take the road that winds
gradually up the hills to the north-west. In doing so the visitor will enjoy
the pleasant scenery around until, all unexpected, he reaches the edge oi
the cliff near Longstone House. The view now presented is startling and
beautiful. Winding towards him from the left and then running northward
is the noble valley. Below us are the bold grassy slopes, covered with
trees or underwood, contrasting with the white beetling limestone rocks

J-^'i a, 'L.I

MO.XsAL UAL I.

and the rich meadows through which runs the stream. Here and there we
see the rustic cottages, the old-fashioned farmhouse overgrown with i\y
and sheltered by a few tall ash-trees and oak, while far away in the distance
is the tiny hole in the mountain-side through which the iron pathway has
been carried that leads from these solitudes on to the busy cities of the
North. We bear away to the right, climb along the ridge to the east of the
valley, and at every step we obtain fresh views of the dale.

There are three recognized ways by v/hich we may go from IMonsal Dale
to Miller's Dale : one by the railway; a second by a toilsome road that
climbs up the steep side of the hill on the right at the northern end of the
vallev, passes the gardens and grounds connected with Mr. M'ConneU's
residence, and then descends by a steep grassy slope into Cressbrook : the
third is by the margin of the stream. This, however, can be accomplished
only after a long dry season, and it is a task attended with danger — a narrow
shelving ledge of rock being the only footway. Here the Wye sweeps along
in an impetuous current between overhanging cliffs and rocks, richly coloured
with lichens and creeping plants, trees and shrubs.

u^-

MILLER'S DALE.

As THE traveller emerges from the first tunnel to the north of Monsal
Dale, he should look quickly down upon the view spread out below him to
the right. The river Wye here spreads out in a wide expanse of water,
closed in by precipitous heights and overhanging woods. It is a spot of
singular beauty, but it must be enjoyed in a glance, for already we are in
the second tunnel, and in a few moments shall be out in the open at the
southern end of Miller's Dale. We next cross a noble viaduct loo feet in
height, and are at Miller's Dale Station. Here we advise the tourist to
alight, and accompany us along one of the most charming walks in England.

^Ve pass under the first viaduct. We creep round
some jutting rocks, and keeping the river to our
left, wander up the Dale. A few minutes forward
and we notice that the river bends away to the
west ; we follow through a wicket gate and some
private grounds, and soon emerge from the trees ^-^

into all the beauty of Chee Vale itself At the end of tliis part of the Dale
we cross over the river by a rude bridge, and are now just below the rail-
way viaduct that carries amidst these lonely beauties one of the world's
highways. We wind our way up a steep path a few inches wide, covered in
with wood, and then down to the right again we cross the stream, and
follow a path close by the water's edge overhung with rocks, until in a few
minutes we go under another viaduct. Still we follow tlie Dale to Black-
well, cross the " lepping stones," take a footpath through a plantation that
borders the side of the river, leave it again at the foot of Topley Pike,
and are on the high road through a lovely valley to Buxton.

V3^-

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\jf!^>C tOPLEY~Pn<E^ P ,> /^^ (g: Ll)DC H ^^^^"2^^

.j^

BUXTON.

Buxton, one of the most pleasant and fashionable of English spas,
is also one of the oldest in the kingdom. Two principal Roman roads
here intersected one another, and a Roman bath has been found. After
the departure of the Romans from Britain the baths of Buxton seem to have
been deserted, but in the fifteenth and sixteeath centuries the curative pro-
perties of the waters are said to have been held in repute, the Chapel of
St. Anne, the tutelary saint, being at that time hung round with the crutches
of those who had been cured. In 1573, Mary Queen of Scots, then sutfering
from "chronic rheumatism and neuralgic pains,"' repaired to Buxton for the
benefit of the waters, accompanied by the Earl of Shrewsbury and his
Countess — the celebrated Bess of Hardwicke — and the Queen testified to
the " incredible " benefit she received. The reputation of the hospitality of
Buxton appears, however, now to have declined, for ]\Iacaulay tells us on the
authority of a visitor in the seventeenth century that " the gentry of Derby-
shire and of the neighbouring counties repaired to Buxton, where they were
crowded into low wooden sheds and regaled with oatcake, and with a viand
which the hosts called mutton, but which the guests strongly suspected to
be dog."

In 1786 the fiftli Duke of Devonshire commenced the erection of the
pile of buildings known as The Crescent, which, with some adjacent build-
ings, cost ;:/^r 20,000, During the present century the town and neighbour-
hood have undergone great improvement. The grounds near the Crescent
have been laid out with lawn and shrubber}-, with walks and bridges, with
stream and jascade ; the village has become a town ; the barren wastes and
moors have been brought under cultivation ; the sparkling "Wye, with its
ample store of trout and grayling, flows through a dale in which the botanist
will find a rich field for his observation, for it is said there is scarcely a plant
indigenous to Britain which may not be found here or around ; the geologist
may study the stratified rocks, and the order and superposition of the car-
boniferous beds ; the historian and antiquarian may detect the traces of the
Celtic and Roman periods; and the artist may, in the rugged rock scenery,
the secluded dells, and rich foliage, find abundant subjects for his brush.
Buxton is nearly 1,000 feet above the sea.

The portion of the Midland Railway that runs from Rowsley to Buxton
was authorized in 1S60. Various railway projects in this direction had long
been contemplated, with a view to connect the midlands and the south
with Manchester ; but the sparsencss of the population, the formation of
the country, and the ownership of the land presented an unusual combina-
tion of difficulties. "The then Duke of Devonshire gave his consent to a
line being made through his park at Chatsworth, on condition that it was by
a crowded way, and there is no doubt that that route would have supplied
the best levels ; but the present Duke objected to such an innovation of his
ancestral domains, and after much negotiation with the Duke of Rutland,
it was decided that the line should be carried along its present course, at
the back of Haddon Hall."

<$^_

^D^

LIVERPOOL.

Liverpool is the queen of British ports. Time was when the Mersey was
spoken of as " the little creek," and when the Dee was a successful rival to
Liverpool. But the gradual filling up of the Dee, and the consequent
decline of the trade of Chester ; the improvements made in the estuary of
the Mersey — an arm of the sea where the largest ships may ride ; the creation
of docks some ten miles in length, that include two hundred and fifty acres
of quay and water space ; the marvellous development of the manufacturing
industries of the northern counties of England ; and the construction of a
railway system which receives and distributes the enormous imports of
Liverpool, and sends back in return materials for a vast export trade : these
are the chief causes that have placed Liverpool in her present proud position.

This eminence would, however, never have been attained without railways.
The Act for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was passed in 1S26,
and tl"t€ works were completed four years afterwards at a cost of ^^900,000,
or nearly double the amount at which they had been estimated. Other
railways, more or less direct, were subsequently constructed between these
two great centres of manufacture and commerce ; and at length the Midland
Railway, in conjunction with the Great Northern and the Manchester
Sheffield and Lincolnshire Companies, obtained permission from Parliament
jointly to make a direct line of their own. Their terminus is the Central
Station, at the junction of Ranelagh and Bold Streets, and as regards ac-
commodation and completeness it is one of the finest in the kingdom.

Liverpool stands partly on the level ground along the edge of the river,
but principally on a gently rising ascent that stretches far inland to the east
and north. During the last sixty years the town has not only increased its
population fivefold, but has itself been improved perhaps more than any
town in England. Instead of narrow, inconvenient, ill-paved ways lined with
dull heavy-looking houses, it now has as handsome streets, as substantial
dwellings, and as sumptuous public buildings as any city in the kingdom,
except the capitals. Liverpool occupies an area of more than 3,000 acres.
The Town Hall cost upwards of ^i 10,000. The Exchange buildings, which
form three sides of a square in which the Town Hall stands, enclose a
space of 1 1,000 square yards. The town has twelve markets, probably better
supplied than any others in the land : the buildings cost ;;^4oo,ooo.

The most striking view of Liverpool is that presented from the deck of
one or other of the splendid fleet of steamships that ply upon the waters
of the Mersey. Besides the host of river steamers that run up and down
or across the stream, larger vessels carry on daily communication with Dublin,
Belfast, Glasgow, the Isle of Man, Cork, and other ports of the United
Kingdom ; while others, more spacious and more powerful still, are engaged
in the trade with North and South America, Spain, Portugal, and the
Mediterranean. It may interest the most indifferent spectator to watch this
wonderful and busy scene, and think of the progress of the town and of the
nation since this emporium of the world's commerce was but the "little
creek of Liverpool."

117 (i

-<^^j

^ SETTLE AND CARLISLE LINE.

The railway from Settle to Carlisle is probably the most remarkable and
interesting work of its kind in P^ngland,— remarkable for the engineering
difficulties that have been overcome, and interesting in the scenery through
which it passes. It had long been known that if a railway were ever carried
in this direction, extraordinary obstacles would have to be surmounted.
Over any such path to the North "frown the huge masses of Ingleborough
and Whernside, and Wildboar and Shap Fells, and if a line were to wend
its way at the feet of these, it would have to be by spanning valleys with
stupendous viaducts and piercing mountain heights with enormous tunnels ;
miles upon miles of cuttings would have to be blasted through the rock, or
literally torn through clay of the most remarkable tenacity, and embank-
ments, each weighing perhaps 250,000 tons, would have to be piled on
peaty moors, on some parts of which a horse could not walk without sinking
up to his belly."* Only one route was possible — along a chain of four deep
valleys which in rough and massive outline stretched from south to north,
the more southern rising up one of the wildest, windiest, coldest, and
dreariest parts of the world, and the more northern falling gently down one
of the most beautiful districts in England— the Vale of the Eden. The
engineer-in-chief has described the route of his line in homelier phraseology.
He has said that the country may be compared to a great whale lying on
its belly, with its nose at Settle and its tail at Carlisle. A steep ascent carries
us up, a long incline carries us down.

Leaving the " metropolitan town " of Settle, overlooked by the lofty
limestone rock of Castleber, we start upon our journey up the noble valley
of the Ribble, apparently closed in to the north by the mighty outlines of
\Miernside and Pennegent, often hid in gloomy clouds of trailing mist,
Passing the works of the Craven Lime Company, we reach Stainforth, and
cross the roaring Ribble. About eight miles from Settle we are at the
village of Selside, near which is Hellen Pot, which Mr. J. R. Thomson
declares to be "the most awful thing in all England," — a terrific chasm,
60 feet wide and more than 300 deep, down which a waterfall leaps into
the gloom. Four miles from Selside we cross the turnpike which runs
from Ingleton to Hawes, and now the heaviest part of the work of the rail-
way begins. Here, a few years since, not a vestige of a habitation could be
seen, and the only signs of life were the grouse, and anon a black-faced
mountain sheep, half buried among the ling. We are now approaching the
great hill of Blea Moor, an outlying flank of the mighty Whernside, through
which, at a height of 1,100 feet above the sea, the renowned Blea Moor
tunnel had to be carried. Speaking of this spot, Mr. Allport says : " I shall
not forget as long as I live the difficulties that surrounded us in that under-
taking. Mr. Crossley and I went on a voyage of discovery — ' prospecting.'
We walked miles and miles ; in fact, I think I may safely say we walked
over a greater part of the line from Settle to Carlisle, and we found it com-
paratively easy sailing till we got to that terrible place, Blea Moor. We
spent an afternoon there looking at it. We went miles without seeing an

* "The Midland Railway; its Rise and Progress," by Fredk. S. Williams.
) IlS
.3^

«^

Settle and Carlisle Line.

inhabitant, and the Blea Moor seemed effectually to bar our passage north-
ward." We are now at Dent Head, and away to the north stretches the valley
down which the Dee roars — on part of its way — over a bed of black
marble, skirted by the greenest of green meadows where herds of cattle
pasture, while on either hand rise the moorlands, the wildest and loneliest
in Yorkshire. This is the second great valley of the four to which we have
referred, and soon we enter Black Moss or Rise Hill Tunnel, at the northern
end of which the line emerges into Garsdale, where, instead of a wild and
dreary waste, kindlier climes and brighter scenes await us. Soon upon our
right we notice a roadside inn, " The Moorcock," well known over the

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country-side as standing at the head of three valleys: Garsdale. along
which we have been coming from the south ; Edendale, along which we
sliall soon be going to the north ; and Wcnslcydale, winding eastward down
to Hawes.

The branch to Hawes is about four miles long, and it makes the beauties
of ^^'ensleydale accessible to many. In the neighbourhood are several
waterfalls, the chief of which is Hardrow Force, which leaps down a per-
pendicular natural wooded amphitheatre loo feet deep, ^^■ordsworth speaks
with delight of this spot and that huge rock, and the bank ^\in(ling round
on the left with its living foliage, the murmur of the water, and the (juiet
seclusion of the long summer days that may be spent there. During hard
winters the fall sometimes forms a vast mass of ice, pyramidal in form, reach-
ing up the face of the rock to a height of So or 90 feet, and nearly as broad
at its base. In the centre of this pyramid of ice the water may be seen flow-
ing as through a tube of glass, ^^'ordsworth tells how he visited Hardrow

119

Settle and Carlisle Line.

Fall in winter. Cautiously sounding his way over stones of all colours
and sizes, glistening in the clearest water, he found that the rock which
before had seemed like a wall, extended itself far over his head like the
ceiling of a huge cave, from the summit of which the torrent shot, and
then fell down into a basin among fragments of rock, wrinkled over with
masses of ice that looked like frozen froth. " The spot where we stood,"
he says, " was as dry as the chamber in which we are now sitting ; and the
incumbent rock, of which the groundwork was limestone, was reared and
dappled with colours which melted into each other with every possible
variety." On the summit of the cave were festoons of rock hung with icicles.
Seven dales open up around Hawes, each with its scattered farms and

cottages nestling under the old ash-trees or sycamores, around which are
the green meadows watered by streams.

Three miles from " The Moorcock " we enter Westmoreland, and we are
now in the Vale of the Eden, and in the midst of what used to be the
"Forest of INIallerstang," the haunt of wild animals and every kind of game,
where the hills now occupied by peaceful shepherds used to echo with the
slogan of border chiefs, and anon were red with the fire of blazing home-
steads. The desolation in Mallerstang and this whole countr>--side was in
the Border Wars so complete that the lands were considered by William
the Conqueror not worth surveying. On the east of the line, washed by
the Eden, far down below us we see the ruins of the square tower of what
once was Pendragon Castle, where Morville, one of the knights implicated
in the murder of A Becket, held his brief but lordly tenure ; and where,
centuries afterwards, the famous Anne, Countess of Pembroke, who built
castles and churches, hospitals and manor mills, who could " discourse of

I20

Settle and Carlisle Line.

'^
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all things, from predestination to slea-silk,' and who married two husbands
with whom she had "'crosses and contradiction," took up her abode. When
an objectionable candidate was forced on one of her boroughs, she wrote,
'' I have been bullied by a usurper, I have been neglected by a Court ; but
I will not be dictated to by a subject. Your man shall not stand !"

The part of the line from whence we look down on the Castle is itself
remarkable. The material of which the embankment was composed was
the boulder clay, so "rotten," and laid on a bed so rotten, that the engineer
informed Mr. F. S. Williams that the tipping went on for twelve months
without the embankment advancing a yard.

We now pass through what Phillips declares to be one of the most im-

pressive spectacles to the view of the geologist that the world affords — the
great Pennine Fault ; and the cutting along which the line is carried dis-
closes the upheaved strata of shale, mountain limestone, grit, slate, iron,
coal, and lead ore in extraordinary boldness and confusion.

Soon we reach the market town of Kirkby Stephen, and shortly afterwards
cross Smardale Viaduct, the highest on the Midland system. It rises 130
feet from the water to the rails' and the foundations themselves had to be
carried 45 feet below the bed of the stream.

Forty-two miles from Settle we reach Appleby. The Castle on the hill-
top, covered in with fme trees, and the grand keep of Ca:sar's Tower, ivy
clad, look down pleasantly on liie county town, once with n,ooo inhabi-
tants, but reduced by fire, sword, i)lunder, and plague to now only some
1,500 souls. In the time of Leland Appleby was but "a poor village, having
but a ruinous castle wherein the prisoners were kept," but here the Countess
of Pembroke lived for a year, and sjjcnt much time and money in the re-

i ■" '

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Settle and Carlisle Line.

storation of the building. The Castle, she remarks, had been "of note ever
since William the Conqueror's time, and long before."

Leaving Appleby for the north, we pass along Battle Barrow Bank, from
whence we see JNIuston, Dufton, and Knock Pikes on our right, and far
away to the left are Saddleback and Skiddaw and the other northern
mountains of the Lake district. Emerging from Culgaith Tunnel, a beau-
tiful view again opens to the west, while below us we notice the confluence
of two rivers — the Eamont, which has come down from Ullesvvater, and
the Eden. A itw miles to our left is the beautifully wooded estate of
Sir Richard Musgrave, of Eden Hall, while on the summit of a hill on
our right are the remains of a Druids' temple, consisting of massive stones

EDEN.VALLEY.I

forming a circle, in the centre of which is the largest of all ; they are
playfully named " Long IMcg and her Daughters." We pursue our way
to the north, and at length reach, through a covered way, the station and
village of Lazonby. Here we leave our train, cross over the Eden, some
sixty or seventy yards in width, by a fine bridge, and follow the lane to-
wards the ancient village of Kirkoswald, named after the renowned " king
and martyr " of Northumberland. Before reaching the town we may turn
along a paved path, covered in by a noble avenue of lime-trees, to the
parish church, and afterwards may visit the ruins, among sycamores and ash-
trees, of the Castle, once " one of the fairest fabrics eyes ever looked upon "
Calling at the " Featherstone Arms," we enlisted, as we had been advised,
the services of Mr. Milton, who makes this inn his home, who knows the
whole country-side, and is willing to assist the tourist with his guidance.
Across the fields we hied our way by the Manor House of Staffield, called at
Mr. Nicholson's, a farmer, for the key, and passing under groves of spruce

— -^

^e/^/e and Carlisle Line. CT

firs and beech-trees, the finest we had ever seen, reached the beck of the
Croghn, which far down below falls into the Eden itself. Along tlie paths
made partly by nature and partly by man, beneath high-arching noble trees,
we stroll down the deep ravine, through which the Croglin roars, now shut
in by rocks piled one above another to the height of loo or 200 feet,
covered with ivy green and ferns and foxgloves, or grey with aged lichens
and mosses, and soon after we were standing on rudely-framed galleries,
supported by rough timbers, where the beck leaps over a fall into a
savage dell, and whirls and boils beneath our feet. Farther down below
we stood on the brink of a precipice looking into a deep dense wood,
where, perhaps, the gnarled branches of some dead oak stripped by the
lightning lift their giant arms, in contrast with the deep rich masses of green
around ; and at length, continuing our descent, we came to the margin of
the stately Eden. \\'e walk along its shore, rounding the mighty rocks
covered in with overhanging trees, and watch the salmon as they leap.

The patlis we have been treading are the Nunnery Walks, so named from
the religious house established by ^^'illiam Rufus, who " trembled, like other
profligates, amidst his impiety, and was willing enough to secure a chance
of heaven provided it could be obtained by any other means than virtuous
practice." Across the river rises a noble hill, on the upper slope of which
the Midland Railway Company has carried one of the world's great high-
ways ; and the traveller thereon looks down on scenes of hill and dale, of
wood and water of* extraordinary beauty, with beetling precii)ices, gloomy
and grand, softened down with shrubs and trees. Beneath him rise the
" shattered and fretted summits which form the entrance to what is known
as Samson's Cave." Down into this a visitor tells us that he climbed, under
overhanging rocks, worn by age, rain, sunshine and storm into fantastic
shapes, and at length reached the entrance to the cave. In doing so he
disturbed a colony of jackdaws, and a hawk flew from its nest on a ledge
among some stunted slirubs, just where a honeysuckle was coming into
flower, strewn A\ith down and feathers.

Guided by Mr, Milton, we wander on our delightful way among the
rocky wooded heights overhanging the Eden, which sweeps on with ma-
jestic curves, until we arrive at Armathwaite, with its ancient quaint old
square Castle, its picturesque viaduct of nine arches 80 feet high, its road
bridge of freestone, its- cataract, where the water pours in sonorous violence
over a bed of immovable crags, which whirl the stream into eddies, and its
ehii, said to be the finest in Cumberland. We are surrounded by objects
of interest and beauty.

We have now for nearly forty miles been descending the Vale of the
Eden, the scenery of which is full of romantic beauty, and on some of the
once wilder and steeper parts of which, by the wise policy of the Musgraves
and the Lowthers, thousands of acres of larch and pine have been planted;
while as we proceed northward the lands grow richer in fruitfulness and
beauty.

123

^.3^-

■^'^

EDINBURGH.

The metropolis of Scotland occupies a site perhaps unequalled by any-
capital in Europe. From its higher elevations we look down on the noble
estuary of the Forth flowing amid park pastoral and woodland scenery,
and expanding as it flows from river into ocean. The solitary grandeur of
Arthur's Seat, the green slopes of the neighbouring Pentland Hills, and
the soft and shadowy outlines of the Lammermoors, the Ochils, and the
Grampians, form a landscape unusually striking and beautiful.

The Castle is one of the four fortresses which, by the Articles of the
Union, are to be kept constantly fortified. Its earliest known name is the
" Camp of the Maidens," because within its walls the daughters of the
Pictish kings were brought up and educated. Only from its eastern side
can it be approached, the others being " more than perpendicular." As
a military position it is identified with various tragic incidents of Scottish
history, and has been taken and retaken in war several times.

The monument of Sir Walter Scott is a worthy memorial of the eminent
Scot it commemorates. Its height is 200 feet, and nearly 300 steps con-
duct to the gallery at the top. Its cost was more than ^15,000. Each
front of the monument above the principal arch has six niches, besides
others in the piers and abutment towers, to be occupied by sculptural repre-
sentations, historical and fanciful, drawn from the writings of Sir Walter Scott.

The Burns Monument stands upon the roadside opposite the High
School. Holyrood Palace is the ancient residence of Scottish royalty. It
is a handsome building, forming a quadrangle around a central court nearly
a hundred feet square. Its front Is flanked with double castellated towers.
Within its walls many a festive and many a tragic scene has been enacted.
The closet where the murderers of Rizzio surprised their victim is shown ;
while many visitors contemplate with pathetic interest the bed of Queen
Mary, which remains in the same state as when last occupied by her. On
the north side of the Palace is the Abbey of Holyrood House, founded by
David I., who, James VI. declared, was "a sair sanct." Near at hand is
Arthur's Seat. As we stand on the summit we may think of Sir Walter's
words when he said of the scene now presented, " A nobler contrast there
can hardly exist than that of the huge city, dark with the smoke of ages,
and groanmg with the various sounds of active industry or idle revel, and
the lofty and craggy hill, silent and solitary as the grave ; one exhibiting
tlie full tide of existence, pressing and precipitating itself forward with the
force of an inundation ; the other resembling some time-worn anchorite,
whose life i)asses as silent and unobserved as the slender rill, which escapes
unheard, and scarce seen, from the fountain of his patron saint. The city
resembles the busy temple where the modern Comus and Mammon hoUl their
court, and thousands sacrifice ease, independence, and virtue itself at the
shrine ; the misty and lonely mountain seems as a throne to the majestic
but terrible genius of feudal times, where the same divinities dispensed
coronets and domains to those who had h.eads to devise, and arms to execute,
bold enterprises."

I3T

<^1<D

Glasgow.

GLASGOW.

Glasgow cannot compare with its rival sister city, the " Modern Athens,"
in impressiveness of appearance and situation ; yet it is the commercial
metropolis of Scotland, and in wealth, population, and manufacturing and
commercial importance, is regarded as the tliird city in the United Kingdom.
It stands in tlie lower part of the basin of the Clyde, in the midst of a rich
mineral district, about twenty miles from the Atlantic Ocean ; and is screened
from the north by the tine range of the Campsie and Kilpatrick hills, while
the uplands of Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire swell beautifully and boldly
to the south. The philosophical observer, who said that he noticed as a
curious coincidence that large rivers were usually to be found near large
cities, would see at Glasgow a confirmation of his theory. On the broad
waters of the Clyde commerce has found a home, while upon the shores of
the firth and the lochs among which the Clyde mingles its waters, the citizens
of Glasgow have built their stately summer residences.

The annals of Glasgow, down to the early part of the twelfth century,
are involved in the general obscurity of those rude times. The first fact
of importance that merges into distinctness is the erection of the noble
Cathedral, which century after century threw the shadow of its venerable
magnificence upon scenes memorable in Scottish history. Forty years after
the building of the Cathedral, William the Lion granted charters for the
holding of a " weekly mercat '' and an annual fair in Glasgow, and in these
concessicns we see the germs of future commercial greatness. Before
the year 177.5 the enterprise of the city was chiefly devoted to the tobacco
trade, and its successful merchants were known as " Tobacco Lords." But
while the prosperity and power of Glasgow have been reared on the success-
ful pursuit of trade and commerce, the general poj ulation of the city is
remarkable for the eagerness of its acquisition of knowledge ; and it is
believed that in no city in the kingdom, where the society is composed of
similar elements, is there more intellectual activity.

The Broomielaw Bridge is one of the finest in Kurojie. It is cased with
Aberdeen granite, is 500 feet long, and 60 feet wide. It supplies a noble
entrance to the city from the south, and a fine river harbour.

The University is said to have been founded by a bull of Pope Nicholas V.
in 1450, but at its origin it had no endowments or public buildings. Eight
years afterwards a member of the illustrious house of Hamilton bequeathed
four acres of ground and some houses for the purposes of the L^niversity ;
and thus were formed the beginnings of an institution which, nurtured
through troublous times, gradually rose to power and fame. >Lxny eminent
names adorn its annals, and have shed a lustre over the literary and civil
history of Scotland. The present magnificent pile is depicted in our en-
graving. The Queen's Park is a noble pleasure-ground.

The monument erected to the memory of Sir Walter Scott is in George's
Square, a spacious antl handsome place in the centre of the city. The
column is Doric and fluted ; it is about So feet high, and is surmounted by
a statue of the great minstrel.

I -'7

KIRKSTALL ABBEY.

KiRKSTALL, as a single object, is "the most picturesque and beautiful
ruin in the kingdom." So says Whitaker. Let us wander amid these silent
memorials of the past, and try to think of Kirkstall as it was long centuries
ago. We go back in thouglit to 1152. How changed at tliat time the
scene ! A little band of monks come here from Fountains Abbey to fulfil
a vow of Henry de Lacy. Then, as far away as the rocks of Malham, through
the " Ings" of Craven, down through the widespread valley of the Aire, the
deer, the wild boar, and the white bull wandered in unfrequented woods,
waded in untainted waters, roamed over boundless heaths. Then the Church
was built, in the form of a cross, with a tower at the intersection, with nave
and aisles, cloister and Chapter House, Refectory and Infirmary. But ruin

/^3

KIRKSTALL ABBEY, KIKKbTALL STATION, NEAR LEEDS.

came on the builders and their building. The monks throve, got into debt,
got out again, and were finally "dissolved" in 1540 ; and nearly three cen-
turies of neglect have told their tale on the once stately pile. But Kirkstall
Abbey is beautiful amid its ruin. The original tower, like that of Foun-
tains, rose but little above the roof, but thereon a later age piled one of far
statelier proportions, much of which remains, and also the long nave and
transepts, plain but massive.

Too near for pleasant eftect are some ironworks. They probably mark
tlie site of a foundry established by the monks themselves. But if we regret
the encroachment of the appliances of modern civilization on scenes that
seem sacred to picturesque decay, we may derive what comfort we can from
the thought that the hills and vale of Airedale, where formerly the violent
hunter ruled, is now the home of thousands of busy workmen, who fulfil
more peaceful ministries at home, and help to clothe and civilize the world
abroad.

12S

OiP

BOLTON ABBEY.

Bolton Abbey can be approached from Skipton, Keighley, or Ilkley.
From the two former we rise over the high uplands and then descend into
the Vale of the Wharfe ; from Ilkley — the Malvern of the North — we pass
up the vale itself, among hill and dell, rich meadow lands and bright river
reaches, the golden glory of the field flowers and the emerald greenness of
tlie grass, the pretty gabled homesteads, and here and there the busy silk
mills, until at length we reach the broad Skipton and Narrogate turnpike,
and cross the liolton Bridge. A little beyond the well-known " Devonshire
Arms " we turn through the Park wall by a wicket-gate, and wander down
the beautiful field and by the margin of the river to the Abbey. Nothing
can exceed tlic sense of repose and beauty which the spot inspires. In the

'^^

BOLION AbbLV, NEAR SKU^TON.

midst of a meadow, along the sides of which the Wharfe winds its way down
from the wooded glen of Ikrden Tower, while the hills of Simon Seat and
Barden Fell look down from above, here rise the piers of the old monastic
tower, and the ruins of the nave, transejit, and choir, and fragments of the
( loister, refectory, and chapter-house of the famous Priory of Bolton.

\\'c all know the memories that cluster round this place. Seven hundred
years ago there was no Abbey here, but there was a "religious house " at
]':mbsay near Skipton. One day a lad— the boy of Egremond— an only
(hild and heir of the founders of the Abbey at Embsay, leading a hound in
a leash in Barden Woods, attempted to spring across the Wharfe at the
'•Slrid;" the dog hung back, and the boy was dragged into the river and
drowned. The forester, who had witnessed the catastrophe, hurried away
with the sad tidings, and met liis mistress with the words, " \\'hat is good
for a bootless bene?" (a hopeless prayer).

" And she made nnswcr — ' Endless sorrow,"
For slie knew that her son was dead."
129

rt5-

MOREOAMBE.

MoRECAMBE has been called " Little Bradford" or " Bradford-by-the-Sea"
on account of the number of residents and the multitude of excursionists
who come hither from the centres of the woollen industry; and a pleasant
change it is to turn away from the sight of mills and machinery to the great
open valley of Airedale, with its noble hills and its heathery moors and flow-
ing waters. On the way we pass Saltaire, where eighteen miles of cloth a
day can be made ; Bmgley, with its locks glowingly described at the time
of their construction as "the noblest works of the kind in the universe;"
the valley of the Worth, with its moors and " the blue tints, the pale mists,
the waves and shadows" of the hills of this wilderness, "featureless, solitary,
saddening," where Charlotte Bronte had her home; Skipton, "the capital''

of Craven, with its Castle which has survived from the times oi the Con-
quest; Malham, where the Aire takes its rise; Ingleborough, "that huge
creature of God," as Gray calls it ; Hornby Castle, a place full of histories,
of sieges and struggles ; down the beautiful valley of I he " Stoney Lune "' to
Lancaster; over the iron bridge, across the river, and through the meadows
to Morecambe. A few years ago an obscure tishing village named Poulton
stood upon the spot where now there is a large town, a commodious railway
station, hotels, and promenades, while near at hand a pier has been built
from whence we may watch the widespread bay, the fishing and pleasure
boats, the far-extending coastdine of hill and beach, and the distant moun-
tains of the Lake District.

Thousands have lost their lives beneath the waters that shimmer so
brightly in the sunshine ; but now the traveller is borne to the shores of
Morecambe Bay and over its sands on solid embankments, and paths and
bridges of iron.

iio

-^^^

THE LAKE DISTRICT.

The most pleasant access to the Lake District is by the Midland and
Furness Lines to Carnforth, then along the northern coast of Morecanibe
Bay to Ulverston, and by the beautiful valley of the Leven to the Lake-
side Station on Windermere. Here the traveller steps out of the train on
to the boat, and is soon on his way to Ambleside.

"Nice pond, that!" remarked an American, as he caught sight of Gras-
mere Lake. We hope others have a more adequate appreciation of the
charms of this peaceful vale and lovely scene. " I go to Grasmere at least
once a year,'' said a Presbyterian clergyman to the writer. " It is the most
beautiful bit of God's earth I know." To stand on Red Bank and look down
the green slopes or over the woods to the waters beneath ; at the wooded
steeps of Silver How, ip the opening of Easedale, and on the bold form of
Helm Crag on our 1 ft ; and on our right at the heiglits of Forest-side Fell
and Great Rigg, with Steel Fell to the north-west, Dunmail Raise in the
hollow, and Helvellyn to the north-east peering over the mighty shoulder of
Seat Sandal, while the church and village of Grasmere nestle among the
trees at the head of the lake, the bright waters fringed with meadows green
as an emerald — is to survey a landscape which, though it be visited a
hundred or a thousand times, yields ever-fresh delight.

The falls of Barrow and Lodore are near the south-eastern shores of
Derwentwater. Near Barrow Bay, and in the private grounds belonging to
Barrow House, is the fine cascade of Barrow Fall. The water makes two
leaps 122 feet down. Application for admission to the grounds must be
made at the lodge. A mile farther south is the celebrated cascade of Lodore.
It is near the hotel. Since S uthey wrote his well-known description of the
spot, in which he endeavoured to show the marvellous resources of the
English tongue, the expectations of visitors when they see the reality have
often been disappointed. The w-ild and rugged precipices on either hand,
and the huge boulders amid and over which the waters descend, are
always interesting ; but it is only after heavy rains that the f:ill is seen at
its best, and then it tumbles down with a roar which it is said may be heard
at the northern extremity of the lake.

Honister Crag is one of the most remarkable sights in the excursion from
Keswick to Buttermere. We have passed by the eastern shore of Derwent-
water into Borrowdale Valley, and climbed the Honister Pass, when, at the
summit, the Crag — the grandest in the district — rears its form on our left, an
almost perpendicular wall of rock, to the height of 1,500 feet. The^'ale of
Buttermere now begins to break upon the sight, and the way down to it lies
plainly before the traveller — a vast stony valley with a quarryman's hut here
and there, and the sheep feeding among the rugged slopes. There are no
bridges, and the river that flows down the valley must several times be crossed.

Sty Barrow Crag is an offshoot from Helvellyn. As we sail up Ulles-
water, the middle and longest reach of the lake is closed in by Birk Fell on
the left, and on the right by Sty Barrow Crag, above which " the dark brow
of the mighty Helvellyn " rises (nr into the clouds.

>3i ,^:

lODOkl

HON I STEP CF^^G'

CLIFTON.

Cliftox is deservedly renowned as one of the most delightful places of
residence in England. If Bristol is known as the metropolis of the West,
and was for many centuries the second city in the British dominions, we
need not wonder that its beautiful suburb, enjoying all the advantages that
situation and salubrity can afford, should have attracted to itself so large
and wealthy a population. Seated on the slopes and summit of a wide-
spreading hill are elm-shaded roads, squares, and crescents, rising one
above another, the most elevated and handsome of all being York Crescent,
beyond which are the open Downs, the heights of St. Vincent, and the deep
valley of the Avon. The view, as we look down the gorge or chasm through
which the river runs, and which separates the counties of Gloucester and

Somerset, is striking in the extreme. This scene may best be enjoyed from
the Suspension Bridge, which, with a roadway of 30 feet, spans the valley
and river at a height of nearly 250 feet above the water and for a length of
220. The chains which carry the bridge are fastened in chambers in the
solid rock on each side the river deep down below the level of the bridge.
It is said by Murray that 500,000 cubic feet of masonry were required in
the construction of the pier on the Somersetshire side alone, and that its
foundation is 130 feet above the Avon. The roadway is formed of Baltic
timber. The cost of the bridge has exceeded ;;^ioo,ooo. Above the Clifton
pier of the bridge is an eminence formerly occupieil as a Roman or British
ramp ; there is one similar to it on the Somersetshire side, and north of this
is a third. The beautiful ravine between the last two is known as Night-
ingale Valley.

MALVERN.

The traveller who crosses Worcestershire by the Bristol and Birmingham
line of the Midland Railway will, on a clear day, not fail to notice a chain of
rounded hills some nine or ten miles in length, and i,ooo feet in height.
These are the Malvern Hills, a name derived from the British words f//oe/
or Md/, and vem, "the mountain on the plain." Seen from a distance, their
bold outline and yet softened beauty have a singular charm ; and when
they are approached by the branch railways from Worcester on the north,
or Ashchurch on the south, the visitor is almost compelled to climb their
summits that he may enjoy a view perhaps unsurpassed in extent in
England. The range of hills — Beacons two of them are called — run north
and south in a right line, and stand on the verges of the counties of Wor-

L3^

cester and Hereford. Geologically, the ridge is composed of intruded
rocks which have burst through the crust of sedimentary formations of the
fiat plain around. The highest point of the hill is covered with verdure,
and it is said that nearly 1,700 varieties of plants are found on its slopes.

In former days Malvern had an ecclesiastical renown. Its Priory was
in the middle ages '■ one of the most flourishing conventual establishments
of the western counties. It was chartered by the Conqueror, endowed by
Henry I., and celebrated by William of Malmesbury." The manorial
house, built with materials taken from the Priory, is a good specimen of
the domestic architecture of the close of the sixteenth centur}'.

The Church formerly belonged to the Abbey. It is a mixture of Norman
and Perpendicular, and its appearance is rich and light. The tower, 124
feet high, is in the centre of the building, somewhat resembling that of
Gloucester Cathedral, and is surmounted with battlements and pinnacles.
The Church has been recently restored by Sir G. G. Scott.

134

•e^^

rD^-

CHELTENHAM.

Cheltenham has long had a great renown as a spa and a place of resi-
dence. In the time of Leland all he could say of it was that it was " a long
town having a market ; " and as late as a century ago the river Chelt flowed
through its streets, and was crossed by the homely stepping-stones. A hun-
dred years ago George III. came here with his Queen, and from that time

.r%.'^^''''

JVnUK^ii- -1

L3^

Cheltenham became a place of fashionable resort. The town has an ex-
cellent appearance. It is intersected by a" High Street " more than 2,000
yards in length. "The Promenade," leading from it at right angles, is
sliaded by rows of trees, and attracts pedestrians and carriage visitors. The
Pump-Room, a handsome building, has a finely-proportioned dome 70 feet
in heiglit, with an Ionic colonnade surmounted by a statue of Hygcia : the

135

CheltenJiam. (

springs are chalybeate. The old Church, erected in the eleventh century, is
cruciform, with a square tower and an octagonal spire rising from the centre.
The College, with its three departments, — Classical, Military, and Civil, —
has a good reputation ; and there is a Grammar School and a Normal Train-
ing School.

But one of the chief charms of Cheltenham is the beautiful country by
which it is surrounded. Leckhampton Hill, nearly i,ooo feet high, a place
of great interest to the geologist ; Birdlip Hill and the Cranham Woods ;
the Seven Wells, where a prospect may be enjoyed extending from Wor-
cester to Marlborough Downs ; the hills and valleys of the Cotswolds ,
Prestbury, the manor house of which was garrisoned in the Civil Wars;
Winchcomb, once a residence of the Mercian kings, and subsequently
achieving renown — such as it was — for the manufacture of wine and the
growth of tobacco ; and Sudeley Castle : these are but some of the many
places of interest to the historian and the antiquary, the geologist and the
lover of English scenery, which the neighbourhood affords ; while far as the
eye can reach the views are ever rich and varying. Above the fat pastures
and the broad vales rise the Cotswold Hills. The ''Wolds" have a bil-
lowy appearance, falling ever and anon into valleys, and every valley has
its brook, and every hollow its rill.

The higher lands give coolness to the air, and here the harvests are
somewhat later ; hence the adage, " 'T is as long in coming as Cotswold
barley."

Cheltenham stands about half-way on the INIidland Railway between Bir-
mingham and Bristol, the line being the result of an amalgamation of two
separate enterprises projected by different parties, in different interests, and
with different gauges — the Birmingham and Gloucester, and the Gloucester
and Bristol Railways. These two undertakings dragged on a feeble exist-
ence until the year 1S45, when negotiations for their union, hitherto un-
successful, were resumed. For some time, however, " it was undetermined
whether the broad gauge should be carried through to Birmingham, or the
narrow gauge be continued to Bristol — an issue which might appear of
secondary moment, but which really involved the question, whether the
Great Western and the broad gauge system were to dominate the West
Midlands of England." "And thus it came to pass," says Mr. F. S. Williams,
in his "History of the Midland Railway," " that the Birmingham and Bristol
Lines, which had been struggling for existence, found that they were engag-
ing national attention, the objects of national interest, a prize to be con-
tended for by eager rivals. All this was very flattering to a hitherto unappre-
ciated western bcUc, who began to feel how pleasant it was to flirt now with
one admirer and anon with another, to weigh their respective claims, and
eventually to secure for the honour of her alliance a very substantial settle-
ment. The rivalry was close and keen. The endowment ofitered by the
Great Western was in share capital ; that of the Midland was in cash — a
guaranteed six per cent, dividend." The Midland carried off the palm.

136

(

E U S T O N.

There is probably no one word in our language which conveys to the
true Londoner so clear a meaning as " Euston." Call any cabman within
the four miles' radius of Charing Cross, utter the single word clearly and
decisively, look him straight in the face, and cabby will, without comment,
drive direct to that spacious courtyard, across the surface of which falls
the shadow from the most magnificent Doric Archway in the world. The
dark grey granite stands out in severe simplicity and beauty, a memento
of solidity and good taste.

In the Great Hall at Euston is a marble statue of George Stephenson ;
in the Euston Road is a bronze one of Robert Stephenson. The careers of
father and son are intimately associated with the growth and development
of this great railway. The father built the line across Chat Moss, and
achieved the so-called impossible ; the son built the tubular bridge across
the IMenai Straits, and left a permanent legacy to the future generations of
engineers. In our busy whirl of life there is slight opportunity for senti-
mental display, least of all in railway business ; but, Avith a true insight,
the men who raised these memorials to the Stephensons recognized that
they inaugurated a social revolution, which gave to England a new lease
of wealth and power.

From the Euston Station the trunk line of the London and North Western
Railway runs direct for Manchester, Holyhead, Glasgow, and the far North.
Its main artery lies midway through the heart of England. Its express
trains know no pause between London and Rugby. From this seat of the
great public school, as also the locality of hunting men during the season,
the train presses onward until it enters the new and handsome station at
Stafford; nor does it rest again until it enters the grand junction at Crewe.
Here the train divides; one part pursuing its way through old-world Chester,
across the Menai Straits, to the jutting point of land at Holyhead, from
whose pierhead start the splendid boats plying between England and
Ireland. Another portion of the train pushes on through Warrington for
the Lake District, Carlisle, and Scotland, while a third speeds to its des-
tination across the Mersey to Liverpool. Throughout these routes, great
branches pass both right hand and left, linking together the important centres
of education, social position, or industry. Thus through Bletchley runs the
direct line of communication between the two great Universities of Oxford
and Cambridge : through Blisworth runs the line direct for Peterborough,
and thus links in mid-centre the Great Northern and North Western lines.

137

Bus ton.

Through Rugby runs the line that binds together Warwick and Leamington
with Market Harboro and Stamford ; the haunts of fashion on the one side,
with the locahties of fashionable amusement and enjoyment on the other.
From the same point starts another branch to link the black country and
the black country centre — Birmingham — into unity with the main life of the
system. In the same way may be noted how at Lichfield the link becomes
clearly pronounced between the Midland and the North Western, for the
branch runs into the main station at Derby, the head centre of the Midland
system. From Stafford a long branch passes through Shrewsbury for the
Welsh Coast and its far famed localities, embracing Aberystwith within its
grasp. At Warrington the branches pass east and west to bring into unison
the great cotton centre of Manchester, the great wool mart of Leeds, and
the ceaselessly energetic industries of Yorkshire. A map tells the tale at a
glance, the red lines bringing out with blood-like distinctness the activity
and energy that everywhere pervade the system. From this great manu-
facturing centre the main line runs with marvellous simplicity direct for
Carlisle, broken only here and there with short branches, one of which is at
Preston, another at Lancaster, and a third at Oxenholme; the first gives
facilities for Blackpool and its neighbourhood, the second for Morecambe
and its surroundings, and the third for Kendal and the Lake District.
Beyond Carlisle the line passes into Scotch territory, and skirting the country
rendered famous throughout the world by the genius of Burns, it passes
onward until it divides, one branch passing direct for Glasgow ; the othei
portion passing equally direct for Edinburgh — probably the most picturesque
city in the world. From Edinburgh and Glasgow the line northward leads on
over ground rendered famous by fiercely contested battle-fields. Bannock-
burn and Stirling recall memorable and stirring scenes, when a great people
fought for what they had been taught to prize — their freedom and national
existence. Bridge of Allan, near Stirling, is placed in a position of great
beauty, and is resorted to for its mineral springs. Hard by is the Abbey
Craig, on which stands the Wallace monument, and from which four
battle-fields may be seen. Further on we reach the historic town of Perth.

Thus roughly and briefly may the main arteries of a great system be de-
fined, but the mode in which it is worked out in detail can better be illus-
trated by one or two examples. Let any one walk into the Euston Station
at half-past-eight any evening and note the Limited IMail when ready for
its start. In the train of carriages there linked together can be seen Post
Ofiice Vans, with their staff of workers ready to sort the letters as the train
flies north ; in others there are sleeping berths with all the appliances for a
comfortable "shakedown," whilst at another portion of the train there is the
apparatus for filling the water tanks of the engine whilst the train rushes
forward at full speed. Nothing can better illustrate the modern aspects
of our everyday life, or the high state of tension at which we live, than the
general conditions of the Limited Mail.

There are two Special Mails : the Irish and the Limited. The Irish,

Euston.

which leaves Euston at 8.25 p.m., reaches Holyhead in the grey light of
the early summer morning about 3.0 a.m. The mail boats which ply across
to Kingstown are splendidly fitted, and for the work they have to do are
probably the most perfect in the world. They are hurricane decked, built
on lines as fine as a racing yacht, and can be driven to a speed of eighteen
miles per hour. They are large, handsome, well fitted, and commodious,
and during the whole of their career have been singularly free from any
kind of accident, due no doubt to the care bestowed upon everj' point of
detail. The first essential of a route is safety, and in this particular the
results leave nothing to be desired. The boats, to which we have now
referred, carry the mails between Holyhead and KingstowTi, a suburb
some seven miles distant from Dublin itself. A new line of boats has
lately been estabUshed by the London and North Western Company, com-
bining all the latest improvements for safety, speed, and comfort. They
run from Holyhead direct for North Wall, Dublin. The Limited Mail
leaves Euston at 8. 50, and pursues its way direct for Liverpool, Manchester,
Glasgow, Edinburgh, and the North. Thus, within twenty-five minutes of
each other, every night two express trains speed forth on their errand,
linking together the vivid life of the Metropolis with the growing activity
of Ireland and the restless energy of Scotch progressiveness.

There are two points in connection with the railway which are essentially
the growth of our own day : the collection and dispatch of letters. The
collection is effected by the process of hanging the letter-bags from posts
by the side of the line, and the train in passing sweeps the bags our of the
lever springs into the expanded net by the side of the Post Office Van. In
a somewhat similar manner the mail bags, which have to be left at stations
whilst the train is at full speed, are swung out from the door of the van
and swept out of the springs by which they are held into the ground-net
fixed at the station. The economy of time and labour is immense.

In passing across to Ireland, whether landing at Kingstown or North
Wall, a tourist will find himself on the borders of that sccncr)- which has
been at once so plaintively and passionately sung by the long list of lyrical
writers for which Ireland is famous. The genius of Tom Moore — the
son of the grocer of Dublin — has immortalized numberless points in the
Emerald Isle. The reputation of Killarney and Connemara gains by
being more intimately known ; and men who have seen all the scenery that
Europe can offer, come back to wonder why so few should be familiar witli
the exquisite natural beauties of their own land. No one of the four
domains: England, Ireland, Scotland, or Wales, but has some special
feature of its own ; and the railway communication of to-day brings us
almost without an effort into the heart of each. With a wise discretion,
tourist tickets have been extended for two months from the date of issue,
and it is not too much to expect that the increased activity of our day
will find a natural satisfaction in rendering itself familiar with the scenes
of beauty or interest that exist so plentifully around us.

— — • ^«~<L^

LEAMINGTON AND WARWICK.

At the commencement of the century an obscure undrained village
bore the name of that which is now one of the most fashionable watering-
places in England. The growth of its population is equally marked : in
1811 it numbered 543, whilst in 187 1 it had reached to nearly 23,000. The
increase is not an increase in mere numbers, it betokens the growth of
wealth, culture, and all the pleasant surroundings of a fashionable watering-
place. The season at Leamington is from May to October, and during
that period the pump-rooms and baths are in full activity. There are four
springs, each one differing from the other, and therefore suitable for widely
differing circumstances. It may be said of these medicinal springs that

THE PARADE, LEAMINGTON.

they are powerful remedial agents, but ought at all times to be taken
under medical advice. Their permanent reputation is the best test of their
healing capacity. All the ordinary conditions of good hotels, good roads,
good society, and plenty of amusement are conspicuous at Leamington.
Opposite the Royal Pump Room is one of the greatest attractions of
Leamington — the Jephson Gardens. They are well laid out, carefully
kept, and occupy an exceptionally pleasant position by the side of the river
Leam. They constitute the most fashionable promenade for the town. It
may here be noted that archery has many votaries in this locality, and the
winter season is enlivened by the meet of a pack of fox hounds which
have their head quarters about a mile from Leamington. The position of
Leamington, in the centre of so many objects of interest, gives it a great
claim on the tourist. The railway carries the traveller to many of these
places, while others may be approached by footpaths across lovely fields.
" The high roads are made pleasant to the traveller by a border of trees, and

140

Leamington and Warwick.

often afford him the hospitality of a way-side bench beneath a comfortable
shade. The footpaths go wandering away from stile to stile, along hedges,
and across broad fields, and through wooded parks, leading to little
hamlets of thatched cottages, ancient solitary farm-houses, picturesque old
mills, streamlets, pools, and all those quiet, secret, unexpected, yet strangely
familiar features of English scenery that Tennyson shows us in his Idylls
and Eclogues. These by-paths admit the wayfarer into the very heart of
rural life, and yet do not burden him with a sense of intrusiveness."

In the immediate neighbourhood is charming Warwick Castle, the most
splendid baronial residence in England. It has the additional advantage
of being maintained in its integrity and perfection to the present hour. Its
position on the side of the Avon, whose waters lave its base, renders it
peculiarly picturesijue and beautiful. Its foundations are laid by tradition
in ages which are lost in the mists of antiquity, whilst the rough fact
remains that it rose into prominent notice at the time of the Conquest.

The approach to the Castle is by a winding road cut out of the rock on
which the castle itself is built. The entrance is through a Gothic porch on
the south east side of the inner court. Then follows a long list of halls and
drawing-rooms full of objects of interest and beauty. In the Great Baronial
Hall is preserved a helmet originally worn by Oliver Cromwell. In the
Great Banqueting Hall is the splendid Pietra Commissa Table formed of
precious stones, formerly the property of Marie Antoinette. Here also
are original busts of Augustus Ccesar, Scipio Africanus, and the Emperor
Trajan. In the Red Drawing Room are pictures by Vandyke and Raffaelle,
Rembrandt, Paul Veronese, and Rubens. There are Cedar and Gilt
Drawing Rooms, Lady Warwick's Boudoir, the Compass Room, and the
Chai:)el Passage, one and all filled with objects of beauty and adorned with
magnificent paintings. It is only possible to select a few of the most
remarkable. In the Cedar Drawing Room there is a noble painting of Circe
the Enchantress by Guido. In the Gilt Drawing Room opposite the fire-
place is a portrait of Ignatius Loyola, the celebrated founder of the Jesuits .•
Here also is a portrait of the Earl of Leicester, the favourite of Queen
Elizabeth, and the hero of Scott's " Kenilworth." In Lady Warwick's Boudoif
is a far-famed portrait, half length, of Bluff King Hal, one of Anne Boleyn,
also a fine half-length portrait of Martin Luther, all of them by Holbein. In
the Chapel Passage is a plaster cast of the face of Oliver Cromwell. Whilst
in this part of the building it is well to note the effect of an equestrian
painting of Charles I., when viewed from the end of the passage itself. In
the grounds are many points of interest, notably " Guy's Tower" and " Caesar's
Tower," which are near the main entrance. In the Greenhouse is the
celebrated Warwick Vase, which was discovered in 1774 at Rome, near the
Emperor Hadrian's Villa, at the bottom of a lake. It is fine Grcc ian work.

Whilst in the neighbourhood Guy's Cliff ought to be seen ; it is rather
more than a mile from Warwick, and is much esteemed for its natural and
acquired beauty. The best view is from the Coventry road, through a
magnificent avenue of fir trees. ^

. '1 .J

■ii^X

KENILWORTH.

Kenilworth, in its palmy days, must have been as Sir Walter Scott
declares, " a splendid and gigantic structure." Its outer wall enclosed seven
acres, " the lordly structure itself, which rose near the centre of this spacious
enclosure, was composed of a huge pile of magnificent castellated buildings,
apparently of different ages, surrounding an inner court, and bearing the
emblems of mighty chiefs who had long passed away." The circumvallation
of the royal castle was on two sides adorned and defended by a lake. The
usual entrance was to the northward, which was defended by a gate-house
or barbican equal in extent and superior in architecture to the baronial castle
of many a northern chief Beyond the lake lay an extensive chase full of

KENILWORTH CASTLE.

lofty trees, beneath which red deer, fallow deer, roes, and every other kind
of game found their haunts. The name of Kenilworth inevitably awakens
the memory of Amy Robsart and the fickle favourite of the Virgin Queen.
It is to the genius of Scott that the crumbling ruins owe their charm. If
the tale created by his genius and intellectual power were destroyed, the
larger portion of our interest would have vanished with it. The moss-
covered ruins, over which and through which the ivy creeps in rich green
festoons, would still appeal to our sense of beauty ; but the individual
associations, that charm of individuality, would have been lost. It is quite
possible to trace the outlines of walls, and picture the scene when Leicester
welcomed Elizabeth to the estate which her bounty had conferred on her
favourite.

Csesar's Tower, apparently the oldest part of the building, has been a keep
of immense strength. It is Norman, Some of its walls are i6 feet thick.
It has been square in form, but the north side is demohshed. In one angle
is the well Westward were the kitchens ; and the arched passage between

142

Stratford-un-Avoit.

the tower and the kitchens communicated with the gardens. The Strong
Tower, or Mervyn's Tower, will be seen with special interest from the
associations Scott has connected with it. The Great Hall has been an
apartment of magnificent proportions, 90 feet long by 45 in breadth. The
windows are of great height and exiiuisite in design. When visited by
Elizabeth it was "gorgeously hung for her reception with the richest silken
tapestry, misty with perfumes, and sounding to strains of soft and delicious
music."

STRATFORD-ON-AVON.

A BRANCH line running through Blisworth Station carries the tourist who
wishes to visit the home and tomb of Shakespeare to Stratford-on-Avon.
The scenery surrounding the birthplace was worthy of the man. Amid gently
swelling hills, rich pastures, sleeping woodlands, and by the banks of a quiet
flowing river with lofty trees throwing their shadows on the footpaths, stands
Shakespeare's native town, and in its splendid collegiate church is his place
of sepulture. We visit the lowly abode where William Shakespeare was born,
and where, as Washington Irving says, " he was brought up to his father's craft
of wool combing." It is a small mean edifice of wood and plaster — a true
nestling-place of genius. The walls of its chambers are covered with names
and inscriptions in every language, by pilgrims of all nations, ranks, and
conditions, from the prince to the peasant, and present a simple but striking
instance of the spontaneous and universal homage of mankind to the great
poet of nature. Washington Irving tells us that he was shown over the
house by a garrulous old lady, who was particularly assiduous in exhibiting
the relics with which this, like all other celebrated shrines, abounds. The
American pilgrim, however, had his doubts with regard to their value
aroused by an old sexton and a superannuated crony. " I was grieved,"
he playfully remarks, " to hear these two worthy wights speak very dubiously
of the eloquent dame who shows the Shakespeare House. John Ange
shook his head when I mentioned her valuable and inexhaustible collection
of relics, particularly her remains of the mulberr)' tree; and the old sexton
even expressed a doubt as to Shakespeare having been born in her house.
I soon discovered that he looked upon her mansion with an evil eye, as
a rival to the poet's tomb ; the latter having comparatively but few visitors.
Thus it is that historians differ at the very outset ; and mere pebbles make
the stream of truth diverge into different channels, even at the fountain head. "

Passing up a beautiful avenue of lime trees, we now visit the church, a
large and venerable cruciform structure, charmingly situated on the river
bank. In the chancel is the tomb of Shakespeare. Memories of the Hard
of Avon linger about the place. The whole ])ile seems his mausoleum.
" Other traces of him may be false or dubious, but here is palpable evidence
and absolute certainty." The monumental bust adorns the wall on the
left of the chancel, and a plain flagstone with an inscription covers the last
resting-place of the poet.

143

LICHFIELD.

The rare and picturesque beauty of Lichfield Cathedral has earned for it
the reputation of being the most perfect in form of any ecclesiastical edifice
in England. It has also seen strange days and strange scenes. Within its
precincts arose those prisons where heretics awaited their trial, and from
whence they passed to the stake. Around it arose those walls which formed
the Close, and for the possession of which Cavalier and Roundhead fought
with passionate intensity. The iron hail rained upon its front, crushing

L3^

LICHFIELD CATHEDRAL.

into powder the sculptured effigies of patron saints. The soldiers of the
Commonwealth stabled their horses within its aisles, destroyed the monu-
mental brasses, and in derision played at "chevy-chase" with cat and
hounds. Still the Cathedral lived on, and to-day raises its head in renewed
magnificence, revivified by the genius of Sir Gilbert Scott. Within its
aisles are to be found memorials associated with the great names of Chantrey,
Addison, Garrick, and Johnson. At the end of the south aisle is the
world-famed group by Chantrey of "The Sleeping Children," a composi-
tion which is probably unique in its touching and tender beauty. In the

144

Lichfield.

south transept aisles memorials were erected to Johnson and Garrick ; but
with very questionable taste these monuments were removed at the late
restorations, the busts of the two great men being reserved to adorn the
Library. The Nave is probably the most beautiful part of the Cathedral. It
was erected in the thirteenth century, and has " the great advantage of being
a completed idea." The father of Addison the essayist was Dean of the
Cathedral, and courteous to Johnson whilst a lad at home.

The most interesting spot in Lichfield is the old house at the corner of
Market Place. It was here that Michael Johnson the bookseller lived,
gloating over choice editions of Homer and Virgil, publishing last dying
speeches, and retailing quack medicines ; and it was here that Samuel John-
son, the great litcrateitr, was born. His brave patient struggle with poverty,
his unflagging toil, and his unquenchable manhood, all combine to fling
a halo around the spot. There are few names in English literar}' history
around which men's sympathies cling with so much tenacity as around
that of Dr. Samuel Johnson. Among the incidents connected with his
early life there is one which comes out in connection with this neigh-
bourhood. In the " Gentleman's Magazine "of 1736 appears the follow-
ing advertisement : — " At Edial, near Lichfield, in Staffordshire, young
gentlemen are boarded and taught the Latin and Greek languages by
Samuel Johnson." His pupils were very itw, but among them may be
mentioned David Garrick. Boswell relates an anecdote of Johnson in
reference to his first visit to London, which brings out the peculiarities of
the age with great distinctness. Johnson said : " In the last age, when my
mother lived in London, there were two sets of people — those who gave
the wall and those who took it ; the peaceable and the quarrelsome. When
I returned to Lichfield, after having been in London, my mother asked me
whether I was one of those who gave the wall or one of those who took it.
Now it is fixed that every man keeps to the right, or if one is taking the
wall another yields it, and it is never a dispute." Of Johnson's visit to his
native place in 1776 Boswell says : — " When we came within the focus of
the Lichfield lamps, 'Now,' said he, 'we are getting out of a state of
death.' We put up at the 'Three Crowns,' not one of the great inns, but a
good old-fashioned one, which was kept by Mr. Wilkins, and was the very
ne.xt house to that in which Johnson was born and brought up, and which
was still his own property." Boswell adds: — "I went through the house
where my illustrious friend was born with a reverence with which it will
doubtless long be visited." Of the town itself Boswell writes : — " Ver)- little
business appeared to be going forward in Lichfield. I found, however, two
strange manufactures for so inland a place — sail-cloth and streamers for
ships ; and I observed them making some saddle-cloths and dressing some
sheep-skins, but upon the whole the busy hand of industry seemed to be
quite slackened. 'Surely, sir,' said I, 'you are an idle set of people.'
' Sir,' said Johnson, ' we are a city of philosophers ; we work with our
heads, and make the boobies of Birmingham work for us with their iiands.'"

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CHURCH STRETTON.

The railway from Shrewsbury to Hereford lies along the " Marches," as
they u»ed to be called, the boundary between England and Wales. After
passing two or three stations we reach the little Salopian town of Church
Stretton, situated in a fine rugged hollow between the Long Mynd Hills
and Wenlock Edge. The neighbourhood is beautiful. There is a fine
range of hills clothed \vith beauty from foot to peak. The Caradoc Hills
include the heights of Ragleath, i,ooo feet high; Hope, Bowdler, and
Caradoc, each 1,200 feet high; and the Lawley, 900 feet high. This range
runs from south-west to north-east, extends across the Severn amid uplands
of inferior height, and terminates near Wellington in the remarkable

:,. -;-_■ /v

CllURCH^STRETTOf^l

L^s^

elevation called the Wrekin, which is 1,674 feet above the sea, and being
nearly detached from the neighbouring hills, forms a very conspicuous
object. The Wrekin is nine miles south-east of Shrewsbury. The neigh-
bourhood of Church Stretton is full of historical and geological attractions,
and in the opinion of some only requires to be better known to secure for
it a popularity almost equal to that enjoyed by Malvern. Near the town
traces may be found of the old Roman road of Watling Street. It com-
menced at Dover and ended at Cardigan ; and is said to have derived its
name from the fact that in some parts at least of its course it was formed
of large sticks with wattles between them. At Caer Caradoc, which means
the Hill of Caractacus, in the vicinity of Church Stretton, the remains of a
British camp may be traced. The London and North Western line which
has run thus far south from the county town soon afterwards divides, one
portion running towards Hereford and Ludlow, renowned for the ruins of
its castle, consisting of keep, towers, chapel and hall, the other extending
towards Swansea, Tenby, and Carmarthen.

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LLANDUDNO.

On the northern shores of Wales, about half way between Liverpool and
Holyhead, two mighty headlands stretch into the sea, and between them is
spread out the large and fashionable watering-place of Llandudno. The
eastern of the two hills is the Little Orme's Head, and it has been thought
to resemble in appearance a recumbent elephant — " the body, head, eye,
and ear, being developed with extraordinary fidelity; whilst the Great
Orme's Head, to the left, represents the face and figure of a female, exactly
as we have seen them in drawings of antique Grecian sculpture."

The Great Orme's Head has apparently been an island, and is now
joined to the mainland only by a narrow neck of sand and marsh ; and on

these, and on the eastern slope of the headland itself, the town has been
built. Towards the sea the cliffs are precipitous, and these have been
hollowed into numerous inaccessible caverns by the dashing of the waves ;
in these retreats multitudes of gulls, cormorants, herons, ravens, and
rock pigeons long found a safe retreat, while above, on the steeper heights,
was a favourite haunt of the peregrine falcon ; but we fear that some of these
denizens of the rock have fled before the advances of an innovating civiliza-
tion. Samphire used to be gathered from the face of the cliffs by the means
so vividly described by Shakespeare. On the higher slopes of the "Head "
an old church has been erected dedicated to St. Tudno. The churchyard
contains the grave of the little son of Mr. John Bright. At the top of the
rock, 750 feet above the sea, is a telegraph station. A carriage-way has
recently been completed round the Great Orme.

Llandudno is an excellent vantage ground for visitors who wish to explore
North Wales. Railway and coach enable the tourist to make interesting and
extended "circular tours" inland, and multitudes avail themselves of them

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BETTWS-Y-COED.

One of the most pleasant excursions from Llandudno is to Bettvvs-y-
Coed. We pass, by train, from the fashionable bathing place along by sea
and river beneath the venerable towers of Conway Castle up the broad and
beautiful estuary of the Conway, until, at Llanwrst, we are in the heart of
scenery eminently Welsh. Here the river is crossed by a bridge of remark-
able construction, designed by Inigo Jones, who is said to have been a
native of this town. Still journeying by rail four miles further bring us to
the spot so renowned among artists, anglers, and tourists — Bettws-y-Coed,
which means "The Station in the Wood." Here Cox painted some of his
most beautiful pictures, and here multitudes have come to revel amid the

HETTWZ Y-COED

endless delights of a romantic sylvan retreat, where moorland and mountain,
river and cataract and woodland blend their charms. The village is situated
near the junction of the two counties of Carnarvon and Denbigh. The
church stands in the centre of the vale, " a venerable and interesting
object." Not far away the rivers Conway and Llugwy blend their waters;
and three miles distant are the " Falls of the Conway." A steep path
leads to the foot of the falls, where they can best be seen.

Near Bettws is Pont-y-Pair, a stone bridge of singular form, "flung
over the Llugwy," and consisting of four arches planted on the rude rocks
that form the piers, over the precipitous walls of which the floods often
pour their foaming cataracts. The high road from Llanwrst crosses the
Waterloo Bridge, constructed of a single arch of iron of 105 feet span,
which has taken its name from the fact that it was built in the year in which
that battle was fought. The beautiful cataracts of the Swallow Falls are
about two miles distant. An extension of the line from Bettws to Festiniog
is about to be opened, passing close to the ruin of Dolwydellan Castle.

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CONWAY.

The ancient towers of Conway Castle, as they look down on the suspen-
sion and tubular bridges beneath, suggest a strange contlict of centuries.
Yet each has a majesty of its own. Here, on a solid slaty rock, washed
by the wide-spread tidal uiver, the Briton, it is believed, piled his fastness ;
here the Roman came and took up his abode ; and here at length, in 12S2,
Edward I. erected his noble fortress, and girdled the town around with
lofty walls, a mile in length, strengthened by twenty-four round towers,
and pierced with four military gates. The walls of the Castle are from
12 to 15 feet in thickness, and embattled; above them arose eight large

L3--«

and massive towers, and above each of these a slender turret. The chief
entrance was from the town by a drawbridge, over a very deep moat, and
through a portcullised gateway that led to the large court. This, on the
south side, contained the stately hall, 130 feet long, 32 wide, and 30 high,
lighted by nine windows. At the east end of this court was the reservoir,
fed through pipes that ran for a distance of a quarter of a mile. From the
east end of the great court the King's Tower and the Queen's might be
reached, and from these commanding views may be enjoyed, over hill and
dale, river and sea. The castle was erected to guard against the fiery insur-
rections and incursions of Llewellyn. In the Civil War it was held by
Archbishop Williams for the King, but eventually was surrendered to the
Parliament. In 1665 the iron, timber, and lead were removed to Ireland,
under pretence that they were for the service of the King. Time com-
pleted the desolation, and left the beautiful ruin that remains. The
Suspension Bridge was opened in 1826; and the Tubular Bridge for the
railway in 184S.

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MENAI BRIDGE.

One of the finest suspension bridges in tlie world is that which spans the
Menai Straits. Something is due to the excjuisite scenery amid which it is
placed; something more is due to the qualities of the bridge itself. Its
n-reat span from point to point is 560 feet, and its elevation above the
water-way at the highest tide is 100 feet. It should be seen from the river
itself fully to appreciate its beautiful outline, its great elevation, and the
splendid scene of which it forms a conspicuous feature. The bridge is
noted for the production of a very remarkable echo.

In the same portion of the London and North Western system, but on
the route to Holyhead, is the far-famed Britannia Tubular Bridge, one of
the greatest engineering feats of the century. It remains to-day a monu-

MENAI STRA TSr

ment of skill, energy, and care, for it solved a great problem once and
finally. The first germinating idea is to be found in that smaller structure
at Conway, but it grew to its full position under the pressure of necessity,
and after long painstaking and exhaustive experiment. In Smiles' " Lives
of the Engineers," the tale is told how the two Stephensons worked out
the thought ; how the great originator of the railway system watched with
pleased attention the processes by which the son made quite certain of
each step in the development of the idea. It tells also how near to failure
was the great effort ; how on one occasion the raft drifted, and how on
another the chain broke, and how as a final result the great tubes were
placed where they now rest. One of the spans is 472 feet in length, and
being composed entirely of iron, expands and contracts with the changes
of temperature. To meet the difficulty, the ends of the tubes rest on
moveable rollers and thus maintain the line of rail perfect. The Britannia
Bridge is more than 100 feet above the water level.

LLANBERIS.

The three great passes of North Wales are Beddgelert, Nant Francon.
and Llanberis. Some extol the first because of the beauty of the vale, and
because of the Swiss like appearance of the part that extends on towards
Pont Aberglaslyn. Others prefer Xant Francon — " the Vale of the Beavers "
— where the road winds under frowning precipices, and where lake Ogwen,
with waters black as ink, breaks through a chasm in the rocks into number-
less cascades, loo feet high, that flow down the sides of the hill and then
find their way into the vast and beautiful valley that extends northwards
to Bethesda and Bangor. Other tourists give the palm to Llanberis. Each
pass may be approached from Capel Curig. The road to Nant Francon

L3^

rises above Capel Curig itself; and if we lake uui course westward we
shall, before long, come to " a parting of the ways." that to the left conduct-
ing by Nant Gwynant to Beddgelert ; that to the right climbing the heights,
until at length we find ourselves shut in on either hand by the frowning
precipice of the pass ; while, before long, we shall see stretching before us
the devious road that descends the pass, till in the (ar off distance we
descry the .shining waters of the lakes of Llanberis. Of this celebrated pass
a traveller remarks : " For four miles I was hemmed in on either side by
high rocks. The tints on the prominences were of darkened purple, m the
hollows sombre, and olive brown on the nearer edges. Tlie foreground
was overspread with masses of rock, and a rai)id mountain stream forced
its way along the middle of the narrow vale. The rocks on each side were
almost perpendicular throughout." It is from Llanberis that the ascent to
Snowdon is frequently made. Dolbadarn Castle, a single round tower,
stands boldly forth on a rocky eminence.

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CARNARVON CASTLE.

Carnarvon Castle, says an historian, is a " stupendous monument of
ancient grandeur." It occupies the whole west end of the town. .Some
years ago it seemed as if fast going to ruin ; its ivy-clad walls ai)peared to
be yielding to the ravages of time, yet withal retaining a romantic singu-
larity of their own; and in 1828 the Eagle Tower — the largest of all — was
struck by lightning, which cracked the walls several yards down from the
summit, and displaced large masses of stone ; but great pains have since
been taken to repair and restore the entire fabric, and it stands before us
to-day a grand and beautiful structure, less regular than Beaumaris, and, as
some aver, more picturesque than Conway and larger. On two sides it is
washed by the sea, on the third it was of yore protected by a ditch, and on

the fourth it was shut in by the town. Carnarvon is probably only about
half a mile from the site of the Roman city of Segontium, their principal
station in North Wales. The Castle became the head-quarters of the
English Government after the Conquest by Edward, and here he had the
treasury into which he received the taxes exacted from his Welsh subjects.
The Eagle Tower — so named from the figure of that bird standing on the
summit — occupies one end of the oblong court of the Castle, and has three
turrets rising from it. Here on the 25th of April, 12S4, the first Prince of
Wales, afterwards Edward 11. , was born. Carnar\-on, on account of its own
interest, its excellent accommodation, and its central situation, is frequently
made a place of rest and a point of departure for the tourist. By railway
he can reach Llanberis on the east, and can pursue his way by coach or
by foot to Bettws ; or take the route by the glorious vale of Nant Francon
back to Bangor; or visit Anglesea and Holyhead, or he can follow the
western coast of North Wales down to Barmouth or Aberystwith.

15-

^5tn

HOLYHEAD.

Holyhead or Holy Island — so named because in ihe sixth century ?.
monastery was founded here — is now the great link of communication
between England and Ireland. It is one of the national Harbours of Refuge,
and is formed by a breakwater to the northward that leaves the shore in
the form of a bent arm, and another running from the ojjposite coast, the
two enclosing an area nearly a mile in length and some seven hundred
acres in extent. The works are of schistus quartz, brought by rail from
the mountain side and plunged into the sea. The greater area is 400 feet
wide at the bottom of the sea ; it narrows as it rises. The top is about
40 feet above sea level. The whole affords a magnificent haven for

-.if iL2*^-

\-Molijhecid

refuge to the vessels of all nations on uu uUicrwise unsheltered and
dangerous coast. It cost ;!{^i,5oo,ooo.

The promontory, called the Head, by which the harbour is sheltered from
the Vvesterly winds, presents a singular aspect, its sides towards the sea
forming in some parts immense perpendicular precipices, while in others
they arc worn by the continued action of the waves into caverns of magnifi-
cent appearance. Of these, one called the Parliament Cave is 70 feet high.
It is accessible by boats at half-ebb tide, and consists of a series of re-
ceding arches supported by massive and lofty pillars of rocks. Its interior
is extraordinarily beautiful, and also impressive in its grandeur. Some of
these caverns are the homes of innumerable birds, the eggs of which used
to be in great request as a delicacy for the table, and some of the hardiest
inhabitants of the neighbourhood employed themselves in the daring task
of procuring them for sale. The loftiest crags are frequented by the
I)eregrine falcon. A lighthouse, 200 feet high, is on the South Stack,

153 »*

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Holyheaci.

and the rocks are joined to the mainland by an elegant but rather fragile
suspension bridge i lo feet long, which crosses a mighty chasm and con-
nects the block of clitf on which the lighthouse stands with the 380 steps,
called emphatically "The Stairs," by which on the land side we descend
towards the chasm. When the lighthouse was first erected the only mode
of access to it was by a basket and a rope ; afterwards a rope bridge was
made; but this, though less hazardous, was found to be unsafe, and
eventually the chain-bridge was constructed. Even now the approach is
not very tempting, for the steep road is some three-quarters of a mile long;
but the weariness of the way is relieved by the fine rock scenery that opens
to us in winding along. A strangely wild spot is this South Stack. On
every ledge and in every rent of the grim, black, and riven rock are count-
less sea-birds — gulls, auks, puffins, razor-bills, cormorants, divers, and
other aquatic birds — while the surface of the Stack Rock is literally
whitened with them. They mock the eye with their rapid and ceaseless
evolutions, and they mingle their plaintive wild cries with the sullen boom
of the waves that break upon that iron-bound coast. The rock is frequently
variegated, and is greasy to the touch, like soapstone. " When there is
no heat-haze," says Mr. H. S. Wilson, " the Wicklow mountains can, I am
told, be seen from the lighthouse. The sea now is calm and smiling ; but
the south-west gales, which in winter roar and rage around the exposed
Stack are, as I can well believe, most grand and awful. The wild winter
waves, maddened by such an obstruction, dash themselves in foaming fury
over the great high rock ; and in those terrible nights of storm, the revolv-
ing white light — now extinct in the daylight, as a fire is put out by the sun —
must be of priceless value to the labouring ship and to the anxious seamen."
There are the remains of several military forts in the neighbourhood of
Holyhead. Their appearance indicates that they were of Roman origin.
At a little distance westerly there is a large hill, within about 200 yards of
the summit of which we see parts of a strong wall which seems to have
belonged to a place of defence against the incursions of the Irish. From
the top of the mountain there is a most extensive view, including the Isle
of Man, the Hill of Howth, near Dublin, and parts of the Highlands of
Scotland. Many gold coins of the later Roman Emperors have been found
in Holyhead mountain, and also some spears, axe-heads, rings of bronze,
and red amber beads, which seem to be of Phoenician origin. A large and
a small but perfect cromlech may be seen near Holyhead.

Off the coast north of Holyhead, on a dreary island, is the Skerries
Light. Till 1835 it belonged to a private person, who levied, for the
services he rendered, a toll on passing ships. He is said to have sold his
rights to the Trinity Board for ;^445,ooo !

There are three regular steamboat services from Holyhead : from Holy-
head to Kingstown by the mail boats ; from Holyhead to Dublin ; and
from Holyhead to Greenore. The last two are under the entire control of
the London and North-Western Company.

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GREENORE.

There are, as we have said, three regular steam-boat services from
Holyhead to Ireland. The mail route to Kingstown is perhaps the finest
in the world. The Dublin line, consisting of a fine fleet of steamships,
belongs to the London and North Western Railway Company, and carries
passengers, goods, and live stock up the Lifiey direct to Dublin.

The Holyhead and Greenore Service, the vessels of which ply once
a day, in a voyage of about five hours and a half convey the traveller
direct to Greenore, where he will find himself in immediate railway com-
munication with all parts of the north of Ireland. The steamers of
the London and North Western Company, irrespective of those that pass

between Holyhead and Kingstown, carry an average ui 15,000 passengers
a month.

At Greenore the tourist will see a fine quay, 750 feet long, a commodious
terminus, and a good hotel. He is also in the presence of a splendid
prospect of land and water, a foreground of rich verdure, and a background
of mountains. " The bold and rugged mountain chain of Carlingford rises
gradually, even from the water's edge, until it attains a height of 2,000 feet
above the level of the sea. In front the view of the far-stretching waters of
the lough is closed at a distance of some miles by Warrenpoint and Ross-
trevor, while to the right are disi)ose(l, in full grandeur of outline and colour-
ing, the series of mountain ranges and peaks that run from Rosstrevor to the
Mourne Mountains. In the dim distance Sliev Donard, the highest of the
Mourne Mountains, raises his grim form to a height of nearly 3,000 feet.

The line from Greenore to Dundalk is about twelve miles in length. It
is carried over the estuaries of Castletown and Ballymascanlan by two Lirgc
viaducts, each having twenty-two spans of nearly forty feet.

155

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BUXTON,

The great fashionable centre of Derbyshire, rests upon the moorland of the
Peak, and can boast of an altitude whose lowest level is more than i,ooo feet
above the sea. The great limestone formation, which gives to the neigh-
bourhood its characteristic grandeur and beauty, puts forth special features
in the immediate neighbourhood of Buxton. Here are those thermal
springs whose healing power has been recognized from before the days of
the Druids to the present hour. The subtleties of chemistry have not yet
solved the entire problem, but sufficient is known to give a scientific basis
to the wide and long sustained reputation. Here the Romans built baths,
whose remains are still in good preservation ; here the titular saints of the

early days of Christianity held dominion ; here, also, Cromwell's repre-
sentative swept away the idols, denounced the practice, and sealed up the
wells ; here rested at the old Hall, Mary Queen of Scots, while a prisoner
in the charge of the Earl of Shrewsbury ; here also, in time, came that
thickly-gathering throng which eventually produced the charming inland
retreat which now exists ; here are to be found first-class hotels, bright winter
gardens, smooth, broad walks, and all the incidental items that tend to
make a locality pleasant and diverting.

The baths at Buxton are of special use in all cases of rheumatism and
gout, and it may be assumed that there is no other locality in England so
peculiarly fitted to afford relief. There are two public baths for gentle-
men; one measures 26 feet by iS feet, and is 4^ feet deep; the water
enters at the rate of more than 100 gallons per minute, is admitted through
perforations in the flooring, and flows out at the top, thus maintaining a
constant supply of pure water. There are six private baths, half for ladies

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and the other half for gentlemen. Here, also, are hot-water baths, both
public and private.

In the neighbourhood of Buxton the scenery is singularly beautiful, and
within a short distance of the town is one of the caverns for which the
limestone formation is famous, known as Pool's Hole. It is supposed to
have been the retreat of a robber before the neighbourhood became as
populous and civilized as it is at the present. Many curious remains have
been found in the recesses of this cavern. The entrance is contracted, but
in a few yards the space increases in size until it reaches great magnifi-
cence. The effect is immensely increased by the stalactites, which give
to the whole a delicate and brilliant beauty. The cave is now lighted
throughout with gas, and is decidedly worth seeing.

LIVERPOOL.

Few facts are more remarkable in the growth of towns than those which
are associated with the rise and development of Liverpool. In two centuries
the Crow's Nest of Prince Rupert has become a town of half a million of
people. It has great natural advantages, and they have been rapidly utilized.
There, as elsewhere, " cotton is king." The explanation of its life, its wealth,
and its activity, is to be found in the expression that it is the great centre
of all American produce, as it is the main inlet and outlet for Manchester
commerce. The long-sea island cotton, famous the world over, grows into
luxuriance in the Southern States, to be landed on its quay sides. The
mills of Lancashire weave it into goods, and it is then re-shipi)ed from the
same quays for every quarter of the globe. In a lesser sense, it is the great
port for Irish produce, and the rapid advance in wealth which has charac-
terized the last quarter of a century in Ireland has left its impress upon the
trade and development of Liverpool itself. The town bears the stamp of
energy, wealth, and ease. A few of the special points of interest may be
here enumerated. The Prince's Landing-Stage, St. George's Hall, the Town
Hall, Exchange Buildings, and Lime Street Station ; in connection with the
latter is a large Hotel, belonging to the London and North Western Railway
Company, fitted with all the latest improvements, very handsome, very
commodious, and very moderate in its charges. Not far from the Hotel is
the Free Public Librar)', built by Sir William Brown, Bart., to which is
added a museum rich in Assyrian and Egyptian antiquities. One special
point of interest in connection with Liverpool is its Docks; they are of
immense extent. There are excursions from Liverpool to New Brighton,
a fashionable locality and sea-side resort. There are others also to
Eastham and the Rock Lighthouse, both of which are worth a visit for the
charming scenery by which they are surrounded. In passing from Liver-
pool the line leads on to the celebrated structure known as Runcorn Bridge,
the description of which follows on next page.

157

RUNCORN BRIDGE.

The great curve made by the vast estuary of the Mersey as it bends
south and eastward and separates the counties of Cheshire and Lancashire,
long rendered it impossible to secure direct communication between Crewe
and Chester and Liverpool ; and the traveller was compelled to take a
circuitous route, first north and then west, or to leave his train and cross
the river by steamboat from Birkenhead, At length, however, the London
and North-Western Company resolved to overcome every obstacle and to
carry their main line right over the Mersey, and at such an elevation as not
to interrupt the busy navigation of the river. The work was one of unusual
magnitude, but was successfully accomplished. The bridge is approached

by the Runcorn Viaduct, which consists of thirty-three arches; one of
20 feet span, twenty-nine of 40 feet span, and three of 61 feet. The bridge
itself rests on four massive castellated piers, 300 feet apart, that sink into
the bed of the river, and carry the girders 80 feet above the water. Ten
other arches form the West Bank Viaduct ; this leads to an embankment ;
and the line is now continued upon the Ditton Viaduct of forty-nine arches.
The total cost of the structure was ;^42 2,000, of which nearly ^42,000
were paid for land. The journey from London to Liverpool is by this route
shortened some nine miles. The appearance of the Viaduct, as it carries
the passenger over river and sea, is very striking. A footway on each side
of the Viaduct supersedes the old and tedious ferry, and must be a great
boon to the locality. The direct route to Crewe carries the traveller
through a dull but important salt mining district. It is estimated that the
total quantity of salt sent from hence is more than 1,500,000 tons a year.
Runcorn is an inland port with a population of some 13,000 souls.

158

^^^.

BLACKPOOL.

The pretty watering place of Blackpool stands on a range of cliffs front-
ing the Irish Sea, and on a favourable day the promontory of Furncss, the
Cumberland Hills, and the mountains of North Wales are distinctly visible.
Sometimes the Isle of Man may be seen. The situation of Blackpool
confers some advantages over other watering places on the Lancashire
coast. Its elevation above the sea at low water is considerable, and the
tide does not recede more than half a mile. In very high tides, especially
if accompanied with wind, the spray is thrown against the buildings on the
parade, and solid walls of masonry have had to be erected to prevent
dangerous inroads by the water. Where these precautions have not been

BLACKPOOL.

adopted, especially to the north of the town, the high clay cliffs have been
seriously encroached upon. Tradition states that a large stone called
Penny Stone, that stands upon the sands more than half a mile from the
shore, marks a spot formerly occupied by a public-house. The healthy
bracing air and the fine hard sands attract great numbers of visitors to
Blackpool. A new pier and promenade were opened in 1S73; and since
then another pier has been erected, a carriage drive about three miles in
length has been completed, and other improvements have been made. The
name of the town is derived from a peaty-coloured pool near a farm-
house called Fox Hall, once the residence of the Tyldesleys. The whole
of the adjacent country is within the district called Fylde, and is one of
the richest parts of the county of Lancaster. The population of the town in
1835 was about 800 ; in 1871 it was nearly S,ooo. In the summer steamers
ply from the piers to Llandudno, Southport, Morecambc, the Isle of Man,
and other places.

159

«^^

r^^yts> —

MORECAMBE.

MoRECAMBE is a favourite watering-place, about four miles from Lan-
caster, on the shores of Morecambe Bay. The bay, when the tide is up, is
a fine sheet of water, i6 miles long by lo miles wide. The tides rise and
foil with unusual rapidity, and at low tide the quicksands are extremely
treacherous, and are on no account to be attempted without a guide.

But while we caution our readers against dangers, we must not be un-
mindful of the many beauties of Morecambe Bay. A kw years ago only
an obscure fishing village stood where now is the large and growing town
of Morecambe, with its promenades, its piers, its terraces and its churches, its
sands, stretching at low tide " far, far out, almost to the rim of the horizon,

fe£--

^j MORECAMBE t> -

and yet the brighter rim burning beneath the sun tells of the sea beyond ;"
its hills, its sea wall and railway stations, its bright and far-reaching
coast line, its fishing vessels and coasting steamers, and not far away the
grey and purple hills of the Lake District. To the north of the bay the
estuary of the Kent is crossed by a noble viaduct of fifty spans of thirty
feet each, with a drawbridge to admit of the passage of sailing vessels. A
similar structure carries the line over the Leven. Large districts of land
have by means of the railway embankments been reclaimed from the sea and
brought under cultivation.

The favourite walk for visitors is the great pier. It stands high above
the water, and affords a beautiful prospect on every hand. At the end is
a good aquarium and a bazaar. The sands furnish splendid bathing
facilities. So many visitors and residents come here from the West
Riding that Morecambe has acquired the name of " Little Bradford."
Steamers ply from hence to Londonderry and Portrush.

i6o

FURNESS ABBEY.

In the secluded and beautiful glen of Nightshade Vale, with its flowing
stream and its wooded hills, the Abbey of Furness was founded in 1127 ;
and here arose church and chapter-house, hall, cloisters, and school, lodge,
mills, and granaries, — the remains of which sun'ive ; while on an eminence
not far away the beacon-fire would blaze to tell the whole country-side of
Furness that foes were expected or that help was required. Here the
founders of the Abbey might be seen — the grey-robed Benedictine monks
from the monastery of Savigny in Normandy. But after a while they
changed their profession, and now wore the white cassock, caul, and
scapulary of St. Bernard. The Abbey was a mother institution — nine other

monasteries arose under its auspices — and the abbot himself became a sort
of king, whose rights were ratified by twelve English monarchs, and who
with his successors held, for 400 years, supreme rule, ecclesiastical and
civil, over the whole of Furness, extending from the Duddon to Windermere.
The mesne lords did fealty, and every tenant was bound to furnish man and
horse for the Border Wars. The Abbey grounds enclosed 65 acres.

The Abbey is of the pale red stone of the district, the effect of which is
at first somewhat disappointing. In the Abbey itself "the heavy shaft
alternates with the clustered pillar, and the round Norman with the Gothic
arch." "All," says Harriet Martineau, "is sad and silent now. The
chapter-house, where so many grave councils were held, is open to the
babbling winds." Where the abbot and his train swept by, the visitor
strolls amid long grass and waving ferns. Instead of swelling anthems
and penitential psalms are the voices of birds, and winds, and waters.

There is an excellent hotel hard by.

:C,i

«^

KENDAL.

Kendal is the largest market town in Westmoreland, and contains
nearly 14,000 inhabitants. Wordsworth speaks of it as : —

" A straggling burgh, of ancient charter proud,
And dignified by battlements and towers
Of a stern castle, mouldering on the brow
Of a green hill."

The woollen manufacture was founded here as early as the fourteenth
century by Flemish weavers, and the quality of the material produced is
indicated in the lines that declare that "for making of our cloth" Kendal is
"scarce matched in all the land." The town is built of a mountain lime-

HAWES BRIDGE, KENDAL.

Stone which abounds in fossils ; and the material, found in abundance on
the fells, being susceptible of a high polish, is much used for chimney-
pieces.

The ruins of Kendal Castle, consisting of four broken towers and part
of the outer wall, crown the summit of a grassy knoll to the east of the
town, and from hence a pleasant and extensive prospect may be enjoyed.
Queen Catharine Parr was born here.

One of the most interesting excursions from Kendal is to a spot not too
well known to visitors to the Lake District. It is through Longsled Dale
to Hawes Water. The dale itself, Avith its rustic cottages nestling among
groves enclosed by dark fells, is, as Mr. Radcliffe asserts, " a little scene of
exquisite beauty." At length, after some long and hard climbing, we reach
the summit of the pass, and descending on the other side, Hawes Water
comes into view — fifteen miles from Kendal. From hence we may reach
the glorious mountains and lake of Ullswater.

162

»'-j^ ^ilS~^

THE LAKES.

Entering the train at Euston, a pleasant run of about seven hours
brings us to the charming village of Windermere and the heart of the lake
country. As wc step out of the station and look around, the extreme
stillness and sense of quiet which prevail on every hand, impress us as
being in strong contrast to the whirl and excitement of city life. Here
" calm is all nature as a resting wheel."

For those to whom rest after months of toil is a necessity, the change is
at once thorough and soothing, while the lover of solitude, with time at
his disposal, may here hold converse with nature in some of her loveliest
haunts.

The position of the village of Windermere itself is singularly picturesque.
The cozy-looking villas, mostly new ; the clean streets, the wooded heights
that shelter it from the bitter north-east winds, its elevated situation above
the lake, its comfortable accommodation and good society, combine to make
it a very desirable place for either a lengthened sojourn or a short stay.
There is no necessity to walk long distances in order to enjoy the scenery
around Windermere; the beauty lies close at hand, although there are
certain coigns of 'vantage from which a more extended and glorious
prospect can be obtained. Chief among these may be mentioned Orrest
Head and Elleray. The former is but a few minutes' walk from the rail-
way station, and commands a magnificent prospect of the lake, stretched
out in all its grandeur, flanked on the north-west by a range of mountains
whose lonely peaks stand out sharp and clear against the sky-line. Among
these, like time-worn anchorites, solitary and distinct, the Langdale pikes
attract the eye, and in very clear weather the highest point among EngHsh
hills, Scawfell pike can be discerned in the extreme distance. The view
given in our illustration, from the grounds of Elleray, the seat of Mr.
Heywood, is in most respects almost similar to that seen from Orrest
Head. Among the many tours that may be made to places of interest
in the lake district, our si)ace will allow us to briefly mention only a few.
A pleasant walk down-hill brings the traveller to Bowness, at which a boat
may be hired for a row on the Lake. Close by is the Ferry Nab, the view
from which is exceedingly beautiful. The sight of Storrs will recall the
memorable scene described by Lockhart in his life of Scott. When the
great Northern Minstrel visited the lakes in 1S25, it was at Storrs that he
met Mr. Canning, then visiting Mr. Bolton. " A large company had been
assembled there in honour of the minister, and it included already Mr.
W^ordsworth. The weather was as Elysian as the scenery. There were
brilliant cavalcades through the woods in the morning, and delicious
boatings on the lake by moonlight ; and the last day the Admiral of the
Lake (a title bestowed on Professor Wilson by Canning) presided over one
of the most splendid regattas that ever enlivened Windermere. Perhaps
there were not fewer than fifty barges following in the professor's radiant
procession when it paused at the point of Storrs to admit into the place of

16;

•^^^

IVindcrmert.

UfDAL AATcR^

Lake District: Windermere.

honour the kind and happy Mr. Bolton and his guests. The bards of
the lakes led the cheers that greeted Scott and Canning, and music and
sunshine, flags, streamers, and gay dresses, the merry hum of voices, and
the rapid splashing of innumerable oars, made up a dazzling mixture of
sensations, as the flotilla wound its way among the richly foliaged islands,
and along bays and promontories peopled with enthusiastic spectators."

Probably the most delightful drive in England is that by the coach from
Windermere to Keswick, a distance of twenty-one miles, the time required
for the journey being a little less than three hours. The road from
Windermere lies through the beautiful valley of Troutbeck, where an uncle
of the great painter, Hogarth, resided at one time, and had some repute as
a local poet.

Two miles from Ambleside, a town of considerable and still growirfg
attractiveness, situated in the very heart of lovely scenes, we reach Rydal,
with its Mere, a place at once recalling the name so intimately connected
with the whole of the lake district in general, and this spot in particular^
William Wordsworth. Close by, nestling at the summit of a beautifully
shaded avenue, stands the "Mount," which became, from 1813 till his
death, the home of the poet. The grounds may be seen by permission.

Apart from the interest awakened by the possession of lovely scenery, the
associations of Westmoreland are inseparable from the life of William Words
worth. Altliough it cannot be said that he has done for the lake country
what Sir Walter Scott has done for Scotland, yet the memories that cluster
around the name and neighbourhood of so great a genius attract the
traveller from every clime, and thus, " perhaps as an English shrine, Rydal
Mount stands next to Stratford-on-Avon for the multitude and devotion of
its palmer spirits." Unlike Dr. Samuel Johnson, Oliver Goldsmith, antl
many other great men whose names stand out emblazoned on the scroll ot
literary fame, the pressure of life at no time weighed heavily on Words-
worth. He never knew what it was to work, whether inspiration came or
not, in order that he might live, and to this in some degree may be
attributed the want of interest in his works manifested during his life by
the general public, for certain it is that few poets have during their lifetime
received so little approbation. The motto, " vox populi vox Dei," however,
will not hold water for an instant as regards Wordsworth, for few men wrote
with less of the voice of the people to cheer them on. Another reason for
this absence of appreciation was undoubtedly the character of his poetry, and
the difficulty of understanding the philosophic mind which manifests itself
in all his writings. In our own day Wordsworth is better understood, and
therefore our appreciation of his writings is the greater.

About two miles from Rydal we pass Grasmere, with its beautiful lake,
on which there are facilities for boating and fishing, and pressing on we
arrive at the famous pass known as " Dunmail Raise," so called from the
fact tliat here the brave and gallant Dunmail, last king of the Cumbrian
Britons, died in battle with the Saxons. Over the spot where he was

165

•-^

Lake District : K'cszvick.

buried a large pile of stones, overgrown with moss, is raised, and is known
as " Dunmail's Cairn." The pass is flanked on either side by two lofty
mountain heights, known respectively as " Seat Sandal" and " Steel Fell,"
who frowningly look down from their altitude of 2,000 feet above Dunmail
Raise, while the pass itself is more than 700 feet above sea level. So on
the road leads along the side of beautiful Thirlmere, past the Castle Rock
of " Trierraain," on through the " Vale of St. John's," renowned for its
glorious scenery, till at last there bursts upon the view one of the most
splendid scenes in Europe : the little town of Keswick, invested on every
side by mountains, crags, woods, and waters. In the distance we see how — •

" His wizard course where hoary Derwent takes
Through crags and forest, glooms and opening lakes,
Staying his silent waves to hear the roar
That stuns the tremulous cliffs of high Lodore."

From Keswick the tourist may visit Buttermere, distant fourteen miles, by
coaches leaving the hotels about 10 a.m. and returning about 6 p.m. The
drive for three miles of the route is by the side of Derwentwater, and
glimpses of great beauty constantly come forth. The Bowder Stone, near
Borrowdale, in shape somewhat like the keel of a ship capsized, and said to
weigh i,9ootons, is an object of interest on the way. The Lodore Cascade,
sometimes called the English Niagara, and the Falls of Barrow, should not
be forgotten.

Ullswater may also be visited from Keswick by public conveyance.
The distance is fifteen miles. A pleasant sail by the steam yacht on the
waters of this fine lake may be enjoyed, or for those to whom the manly
exercise of rowing is preferable, every facility is ofGered.

166

.k3^-

CARLISLE.

The old grey town constitutes the border station of the London and
North Western Line before it enters Scotland. Within its walls are con-
tained relics of Roman, Norman, and Middle-Age struggles. Here stood
one of the chief stations in Hadrian's Wall, traces of which still remain :
here also was upreared by William Rufus that Norman Keep whose dark
and rugged outlines still stand gaunt against the sky. Within the walls ot
this fortress Mary Queen of Scots was detained after the battle of
Langsidc ; whilst round this city of Carlisle itself, were waged those bloody
struggles of border warfare. Its proud title of ''The Key of Scotland"

^ j^-^ .*i»iej|

marked. its value and position in times i)ast. It took the side of Royalty
during the Civil Wars, and paid the penalty for espousing the cause of the
Martyr King. Still later it manifested its old spirit of loyalty by opening
its gates to Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745, and was punished with merciless
severity by the Duke of Cumberland.

Not far from the old castle stands what was once a Norman Priory, and
is to-day an English Cathedral. It has running through its structure that
principle of symbolism by which so much of our Church architecture is
characterized. It is constructed in the form of a crucifix. The material
used is that of the old red sandstone.

Beyond Carlisle the line proceeds northwards, and divides at Carstairs,
from which point it branches away towards the two great centres of Scotland
— Edinburgh and Glasgow ; the one the representative of intellectual activity,
the original home of Scottish Royalty and the modern Athens ; the other
the active city of commerce, the great leader of maritime construction, and
the locality surrounded by splendid scenery. The River Clyde takes its

167

zs-

Carlisle.

own position as a locality of great natural beauty, and the falls which break
its course are famous far and wide. The best point from which to visit
the falls and the most immediate centre of interest, but only for its associa-
tions, is the ancient town of Lanark, four miles from Carstairs. Here
Kenneth II. summoned the first Scottish Parliament in 978. The town at
once recalls to our minds the life of the greatest of Scottish patriots —
William Wallace, the Knight of Ellerslie. Here he lived and commenced
his historical career by striking down the English Sheriff Haselrigg, in return
for the murder of his wife ; the neighbourhood teems with the incidents
connected with his memory. From Glasgow numerous localities of interest
may be visited. Among these may be mentioned Greenock, from which
the beautiful island of Rothesay, noted for its sea-bathing facilities, may be
easily reached. Wemyss Bay is also much resorted to by excursionists from
Glasgow, and will well repay a visit.

In Edinburgh, the city itself is worthy of its far-famed reputation. The
Castle on the upreared massive rock stands out in singular force, clearly
defined, though dark and threatening. Beneath its shadow the white
jet of steam marks the presence of the railway engine ; whilst within
a stone's throw the Gothic monument raised to Sir Walter Scott lifts
its delicate tracery in pinnacled oudine to the sky. Down in the hollo\^
near the Canongate is Holyrood Palace, famous as the scene of Rizzio's
murder; they still show the room where the deed was done. A little
beyond is Burns's monument, and behind it lies Arthur's seat, one of the
range of hills that encircle Edinburgh. In the upper town is the house
inhabited by Walter Scott before he built Abbotsford ; whilst in the lower
town is the house inhabited by Knox : beyond these there are numerous
localities which the great novelist has lifted into fame by incorporating
them into his novels, giving to his writings a lifelike vividness, and ele-
vating the localities themselves by his antiquarian knowledge. From
Edinburgh and Glasgow the trains run to the far-famed Highlands, where
Scotch mountains and Scotch lakes combine with the keen Scotch air,
to give fresh life to those who are weary from over-work, or those who are
tired^of the London season.

NOTE.

Considerable care has been taken to make the Guide fairly representative of the leading
points in connection with the London and North Western Railway. Embracing as it
does a great variety of subjects and a large number of localities, it is quite possible that
some noteworthy points may have escaped attention. The Editor will therefore be glad
to receive information, hints, or corrections, on any of the topics which have been treated.
Address Editor, "London and North Western Guide,"

Morton and Co.,
7, Water Lane, Queen Victoria Street, E.C.

Li>^ — - — — ^^^^

THE BROAD GAUGE.

From Paddington to Penzance the trunk line of the Great Western runs
in unbroken continuity over the broad gauge. In the early days of railway
enterprise the genius of Brunei moulded the Great Western into its present
form, and gave to the travelling public a broad road Avhich was at once
the most easy, the most expeditious, and the most luxurious in the world.
The fame then achieved has not yet died out. The first-class carriages of
the system are unique in their combined advantages ; they unite smoothness
of motion, luxuriousness of fitting, and a general sense of comfort. New
demands have created new appliances and new inventions, but the broad
gauge carriages still stand alone. The claims for precedence put forward
for Drawing-room Saloons or Pullman Cars have failed to win full recog-
nition, and despite their many advantages they are not in perfect harmony
with our insular exclusiveness. In the same way the challenge for speed
remains intact. " The Flying Dutchman " performs the journey between
London and Exeter, a distance of 194 miles, in four hours and a quarter,
which, when allowance is made for stoppages, will raise the full pace to at
least sixty miles per hour, a rate of speed high enough for all conceivable
purposes, and which will probably never be exceeded.

On the Great Western system there are more than 2,000 miles of road
stretching far and wide over all the western counties. In the north
it forms connections with Manchester and Liverpool, those celebrated
centres of Lancashire energy and skill. In the west it embraces the great
and thriving ports of Bristol and Cardiff: the one the representative of past
commercial effort, the other the representative of young and rising energy.
In the south it embraces Plymouth and Falmouth, the great naval depots
of our southern coast. Near the head of the promontory which stretches
farthest west is the renowned Milford Haven, one of the great natural
harbours of the world. From it there issue fleets of steamers plying
between England and the Emerald Isle, and uniting Waterford and Cork
with the trunk line of the great Western. Far down on the south coast
similar results are being achieved in connection with the Channel Islands
and the French coast. The fleet of steamers that ply between Weymouth
and Cherbourg unite the Great Western of England with the Great Western
of France. The latter line passes direct through Caen in Normandy and
then branches sight and left for Paris and the south. On its way to the
frontier it passes far-famed Bordeaux, the great wine district of France,
and as it nears the Pyrenees sends a short branch to the world -famed
sanatorium of Pau. Thus stretches far and wide the great trunk line which
has its central station at Paddington. In the far north it stands ready at
the open port of Liverpool, looking towards America ; in the far west it
stands equally ready r»t Milford Haven, Plymouth and Falmouth ; whilst

L3^ «^e.J

The Broad Gauge.

in the far south it bridges the Channel waters and Unkc itself with the route
to the health-giving range of the Pyrenees and the never-failing charm of
the south of sunny France.

In the interests which are nearer home it does not fail. The charms of
scenery and association hang round numberless portions of the route. As
the train sweeps past Readi^^g, huge warehouses and chimneys indicate the
locality of the largest bis ,uit manuflxctory in the world — the far-famed
works of Huntley and Palmers.

On its way north the line passes through world-famed Oxford ; a little further
on it embraces Leamington, Warwick, and Kenilworth ; whilst across the
country, hnked by a branch line, is Shakespeare's birthplace, Stratford-
on-Avon. In the neighbourhood are Worcester, Hereford, and Gloucester,
all renowned for their cathedrals and all worth seeing. Scattered at widi
intervals and under widely-varying conditions are the inland sp?s and
sea-side resorts. Bath and Cheltenham still retain their reputation as
fashionable centres, though somewhat changed; whilst the newer claims of
sea-side places furnish forth a host of names, and conspicuous among
them Penzance, Torquay, and Dartmouth, the English Italy, the English
Naples, and the English Rhine. Some minor points are worth noting in
connection with the Great Western Railway. It was on its system that the
first excursion train was run, the fir^t telegraph was constructed, and her
Majesty made her first journey in a railway train.

WINDSOR.

Windsor Castle is, beyond question, the finest Castle residence in the
world ; while its history is that of the great people whose sovereigns,
through many hundred years, have looked upon Windsor as their chief
home. When Westminster Abbey ceased to be the royal burjing-place,
Windsor was devoted to that pu4i|)ose, and here sleep in peace many of the
later sovereigns of England, together with their consorts.

The Castle walls surround not only the finest old palace in Europe, but
one of the most magnificent existing Gothic ecclesiastic edifices, that of St.
George's Chapel, while the Great Keep, or Round Tower, is one of the
most massive in Europe. From the summit of this pile is to be seen one
of the finest views in England over half-a-dozen counties.

Commenced by William the Conqueror, this monarch celebrated
Christmas in his new fortress four years after the conquest of England.
Henry I. made many additions to the building. But it was not until the
reign of Edward III. that this castle-palace began to assume its present
proportions. Almost all the sovereigns since that monarch's reign have
added to Windsor, the chief amongst them being Edward IV., Henry
VII., Henry VIII., and Elizabeth, who added the fine north terrace,
commanding an extensive prospect o\-er the Thames, and which is said
to be our present Queen's favourite walk.

After the Restoration every successive monarch made some addition or
alteration at Windsor. George III. restored St. George's Chapel at his own
expense, while his successor gave considerable attention to making the

170

IViiidsor Castle.

residences of those employed about the court extensive and commodious.
George IV. obtained from Parhament more than three-quarters of a million
of money to carry these improvements and additions into effect. The
present sovereign has also expended large sums from the Privy Purse in em-
bellishing (by the use of varied polished marbles) the building now known
as the Albert, but for centuries described as the Wolsey, Chapel. This
veritable shrine can only be seen by permission ticket, which can be readily
obtained.

The state rooms at Windsor can also always be visited when the sovereign
is absent, and responsible persons attached to the Castle are available as

^Ih"^

■h.

.<^.Pf.

guides. The chief works of art here are to be found in the Waterloo
Chamber, while St. George's Chapel possesses numberless points of artistic
interest. The stables attached to the Castle are open to inspection, while
the visitor may stroll at will along the terraces, and in and about the more
ancient and historical portions of the Castle. The walks in the vicinity ot
Windsor are truly charming and picturesque. The i)rincii)al of these are
the Long Walk and Virginia Water.

Windsor should not be quitted before a visit has been made to the
interesting tapestry works which have here been cstablishotl. under the
direct patronage of the royal family. A short distance from Windsor, on
the opposite side of the river, stands Eton College. From the halls of this
famous seat of learning, founded as Air back as 1440. by Henrj- \l., have
issued many of the greatest statesmen, warriors, jjhilosophers, divines and
poets, whose names are inscribed on the roll of our country's history.

'/I

-<^_J

MAIDENHEAD.

Maidenhead is one of the pleasantest market-towns in Berkshire, cele-
brated equally for an endowed school, liberal charities, and its hotels, where
provision of the best is made for the many boating men and anglers who
frequent the Thames in this district and almost live upon it.

The river is spanned at this point by a handsome stone bridge, from
which the views up and down the river are very fine. Looking down
stream the visitor marks Windsor Castle, grand and majestic, as it domi-
nates the town below, while to the left the beautiful chapel of Eton College
is seen, set in the heart of the meads.

Looking up river from the bridge, can be seen the heights of Clieve-
den, where stands the residence of the Duke of Westminster. This

a^irV;-'

THE THAMES : NEAR MAIDENHEAD.

building may be visited when the family are away, and will amply repay
inspection. The view from the terrace before CHeveden House, which is
built upon the highest ground on or near the banks of the Thames, is very
fine. The eye roams over a vast stretch of trees, Windsor and Eton being
seen in the distance.

On the left, below the bridge, may be seen the footway which leads to
Cookham, where some of the best trout-fishing which the Thames affords
is to be found. Here many a pleasant point may be found where the angler,
according to Pope, may

"Take his silent stand
Intent, his angle trembling in his hand."

Lender Maidenhead Bridge one of the clearest echoes to be found on
the Thames may be awakened. It was here, at the Greyhound Inn, that
Charles I., after six years' separation, was allo^ved to see his children.

172 ^

'rD^-

MARLOW.

Great Marlow, a market-town in Bucks, is situated upon a very lovely
stretch of "silver Thames," as Spenser calls the world-renowned river.
The townsfolk may certainly be proud of the beauty of the locality of their
native town. Seen from Prospect Hill, which is behind Marlow, and on
the road to Reading, the beechen slopes of the river are indeed very
charming. Shelley pronounced this view one of the finest in the south of
England.

Below Marlow may be seen Bisham Woods, the favourite camping-ground
of boating men. Here, "all in the sweet summer weather," may be noted
perchance a score of twinkling fires shining out as the soft evening wanes
apace, while busy boatmen in white flannel, hurry about prejiaring their

UIVI.R lll.il.lL., . i.LLUW .M.\RLOW.

dinners under the beeches, after a good day's pull up the river. Eight
miles up stream brings the visitor to Henley, famed for its regattas, pulled
over a mile and a half of splendid water. Marlow Church, which is a very
beautiful edifice, deserves a visit.

It was at Marlow that Shelley, most unhappy of geniuses, wrote much
of his best poetry while swinging in a boat moored in the shadow of Bisham
beeches. Speaking of the river he says, addressing his wife,

" The toil which stole from thee so many an hour

Is ended, and the fruit is at thy feet.

No longer, where the woods to frame a bower

With interlaced branches mix and meet.

Or where with sound like many voices sweet

Waterfalls leap among wild islands green.

Which framed for my lone boat a lone retreat

Of moss-grown trees, and weeds, shall I be seen,

But beside thee, where still my heart has ever been."

VALLEY OF THE WYE.

It is the scenery on the banks of the Wye which has gained for it the
name of the most beautiful river in England. Turbid and hurried in itself,
it runs through some of the most lovely landscape in the island. A tiny
steamer now and again forges up stream against the fierce current of the
Wye, or readily floats down on the top of it ; but the Wye may best be
judged from its banks ; and now that the Wye Valley Railway readily
carries the tourist from one end of the valley to the other, the more prac-
ticable plan is to steam from Bristol to Chepstow, or to reach that place
from Gloucester, a lovely run on the right bank of the Severn, and thence
leisurely to take the train from point to point up the valley — the beauties

RIVER WYE: FROM WYNDCLIFF.

of which occupy, speaking within bounds, a fair hundred miles. It is the
extent of the sylvan and other beauties of the Wye which have made it so
perfectly celebrated. From its source, near the summit of Plinlimmon, to
its union with the lordly Severn, the Wye is continuously beautiful. Wild
and rugged in the midst of its Welsh hills, no sooner does it reach the vales
of Herefordshire than it becomes singularly beautiful, and thence it flows
through Monmouthshire until it loses itself in the Severn. We will assume
that the tourist decides to ascend the Wye rather than follow it from its
source. The start from Bristol by the Chepstow steamer is not promising ;
but soon the swift, strong current of the Wye is compressed between high
rocks, and here the river will rise and fall from fifty even to seventy feet at
certain tides. Soon the fine old walls of Chepstow Castle will loom upon
the horizon and the romantic aspect of the Wye is reached. Chepstow is
equally celebrated for its old castle and its fresh salmon.

^74

Valley of the Wye.

Leaving Chepstow, and making for the WyndcHff, the tourist passes
below the celebrated stretch of private property called Piercefield, which
possesses three miles of paths winding along the edges of the cliffs above
the Wye. Wyndcliff once reached, the tourist stands on a colossal point
seven to eight hundred feet above high water, from whence the observer
may see portions of seven English and two Welsh counties. Our view is
taken looking up the river, which at this point winds through the landscape
like a carelessly thrown ribbon of silver. Below hill on the left lies Tintern
Abbey, while far beyond the Welsh hills fringe the northern view.

Tintern, far down in the valley, passed, a walk of five miles brings us to
Monmouth, where the influence of tide ceases, and the Wye becomes clear
and glittering.

From Monmouth to New Weir a rowing-boat should be taken, as it is
only from the river that the great beauties of this part of the Wye are to be
appreciated. Thence to Ross is a very pleasant tour. Here are to be
found in the parish church the celebrated elms which sprang up through
the floor of the pew once occupied by John Kyrle, Pope's celebrated " Man
of Ross."

Several of the finest of an avenue of elms (planted in the churchyard by
this generous man) being sold by a greedy incumbent, from the roots of
one of them, which had pushed their way through or under the church wall,
there sprang up a couple of remarkable elms.

A third made its appearance some thirty years since. " The Song of the
Trees," says an American writer, " is a strange addition to the reading of the
English Church Service on Sunday morning, for the birds amongst the
branches join in the responses, and hop about quite free from any fear of
consequences." These elms are held almost in veneration by the good
people of Ross. Moreover, they put forth their leaves earlier in spring than
any other elms in the Valley of the Wye, while not any of their kind retain
foliage so late in the autumn as those which mark the spot where the Man
of Ross once worshipped, and where the pew is exactly as he left it.
Kyrle's house is still shown, and also his arm-chair. But what is still more
interesting, as illustrating Addison's dictum to the effect that example is
superior to precept, the men of Ross are peculiarly distinguished for works
of charity and for sobriety of behaviour.

Leaving Ross, near which the visitor may find Goodrich Castle, the
tourist proceeds towards Hereford, below which and on to Ross the Wye
becomes smooth and placid. Above Hereford the Wye is a babbling
rivulet. Thence following up its noisy course we enter Wales and reach
Rhayador, where the Valley of the Wye may be said to end. Thence up
to its spring-head on Plinlimmon, the Wye may be seen dashing down from
the Welsh hills, and sporting, free and bright, as it tumbles swiftly to its
lovely and most enchanting valley.

% ^5 4

L3P 2i^

TINTERN ABBEY: VALLEY OF THE WYE.

TiNTERN Abbey is "a dream in stone," and a dream set in some of the
loveliest scenery to be found throughout England. The locaHties of most
monasteries are generally beautiful, but that of Tintern is exceptionally
glorious ; while the noble edifice itself is admittedly the finest ecclesiastical
ruin within the boundaries of the Empire. Indeed, the late Prince Consort,
whose knowledge of art was above dispute, declared Tintern the finest ruin
in Europe, and therefore in the world. The magic of proportion is felt in
a supreme degree as the observer stands at any point in the glorious nave
and looks towards that eastern window (shown to the right in our illustra-
tion), with its unicjue, fairy-like shaft of delicate stone. Architects of the

TINTERN ABBEY : ON THE ^^'Y'E.

highest order coming to Tintern, astonished at the serene and perfect
relation of all its parts to one another, have taken careful measurements,
and made profound calculations ; but apparently with little success, for
there is no modern Gothic which even faintly reminds one of exquisite
Tintern. Here Barr}- came for suggestions when building the Houses of
Parliament. But of all great Gothic ruins, Tintern perhaps least of all
will yield the secrets of its perfect harmony to the hurried student.
Where all is so verj^ beautiful, it were weak to point out especial beauties ;
but amongst the wealth of Gothic art here portrayed, the visitor will do
well not to forget the noble west window, Avhere the greater part of its
exquisite tracery is still to be seen. Tintern is not only admirable when
studied as a whole, its details are of the most beautiful character, and
thoroughly com])ensate minute inspection. Several very interesting tombs
are to be found here of men whose names are known in English history.
The valley of Tintern itself well repays a visit.

176

CLIFTON, NEAR BRISTOL.

Here the Avon flows through a valley, between rocks which are nearly
two hundred and fifty feet above high-water mark. In our engraving we
are looking down the river towards the Bristol Channel. On the right,
hi'^h on the cliffs, lies Clifton itself, while on the left is to be found the
lovely district called Leigh ^^'oods and Nightingale Valley. Here a
number of chalet-like villas have been built, and which are reached in a
few minutes by a branch line from Bristol to Clifton Bridge — a line which
entirely avoids the busy streets, and practically brings Leigh Woods within
ten minutes of the heart of the handsome smoky city. Here, high on the
rocks, the air is so clear that one might fancy himself scores of miles from

CLIFTU.N KOCKS: NEAR IIKI-STOL.

any busy haunt of man, were it not that Bristol is stretched, a magnificent
panorama, far below our vantage point. Looking down the gorge about
an hour before mid-day, and from the centre of the beautiful susi)ension
bridge which connects the two sweeping lines of rock, the visitor remarks a
winding gorge of reddened cliff — on the right open and breezy, on the left
beautifully wooded and sylvan. Far down the river the expanse of the
cliff known as Black Rock faces one, and closes farther view of the river.
To the right, St. Vincent's Rock, which contains a curious cavern-chapel, is
capped by the old Observatory with its mural crown of deep red brick ;
while on the left the slopes of Nightingale Valley are alive with songs
of birds. Here many beautiful villas suggest the great healthiness and
prosperity of the district, while so far the presence of man has not
driven away the feathered songsters from whom the vale has gained its
name.

177

CHEDDAR CLIFFS.

Cheddar lies close under the centre of the beautiful ami)]iithcatre of
high limestone rocks which form the Mendip Hills. The inner curve of
this chain faces the south-west, and so mild is the climate that ice is rarely
seen, house-flies are to be observed in the severest winter, while in the
crevices of the architecture built about the old market cross, may be
marked various luxuriantly grown ferns, green and hale even in January.
The weather here is so mild that the district rivals Penzance in the produc-
tion of early peas and potatoes, while there are nooks in the hills which
would form superb spots for the erection of tree-encircled villas, such as are
totally wanting in this favoured spot.

CHEDDAR CLIFFS: NEAR BRISTOL.

The celebrated Cheddar Cliffs still remain comparatively unknown. No-
where in England can be found so extended a line of perpendicularly
broken rock as at Cheddar. The winding road through the pass affords an
exquisite variety of absolute mountain scenery, while a certain indigenous
pink, and multitudes of jackdaws, lend colour and life to the scene.

Again, Cheddar is especially fortunate in the possession of a stalactite

cavern, which contains more delicate stalactites than does any other cavern

in England, or even in America, if the testimony of the late Elihu Burritt be

accepted. This cavern may be visited at any time, while the use of gas

results in a beautiful illumination of this wonderful place. The Mendips

are, indeed, full of caverns, and at one point they show a low opening,

at which a dog having entered and supposed to be lost, crawled out at

another point two or three miles away. Hannah More did good work in

Cheddar, which only requires commodious residences to become very

prosperous.

178

(iJt^-

-cMT'i

LYNTON.

Lyntox, together with Lynmouth, may be reached by land cither from
Ilfracombe, or Barnstaple. By either route the distance is about twenty
miles. From Barnstaple the visitor crosses a corner of Exmoor, where he
may have a chance of seeing some of the celebrated wild red-deer. But the
road along the rocky coast above Ilfracombe is generally preferred. At one
point, that of Paracombe Common, the road winds nine hundred feet above
high-water mark. Lynton and Lynmouth, however, are generally reached
by steamer from Bristol in a few hours. It is from the sea that the finest
views of this wild coast are obtained, and it is by this means that the
Valley of Rocks should be first approached.

VALLEV OF KOCKs, LYMON: NUKTH DEVON,

Lynton lies well above Lynmouth, and is probably far the healthier of the
two. Here various isolated cliffs attract attention, especially the Castle
Rock. But of course the great attraction is the Valley of Rocks. This stu-
pendous scene is situated about a mile from Lynton. It is reached by a road
which winds along the side of a tremendous declivity, and which suddenly
opens out into a magnificent ravine. " Imagine," says Southey, " a narrow
vale between two ridges of rock, covered with huge stones, the bare northern
ridge looking like the very bones and skeletons of the earth-rock, imprisoning
rock-stone held in thrall by other stone — the whole forming a huge, terrific,
stupendously grand mass. I never felt the sublimity of solitude until I
stood alone in the Valley of Rocks." Local superstition ascrilies the tumbled
( haracter of the rocks to the anger of the demon, who being foiled in obtaining
possession of the soul of the then owner of a beautiful estate, made it the
splendid waste we now behold. In our engraving we are looking in the
direction of the opening seawards.

179

«V^

ILFRACOMBE.

Facing the north, and therefore bracing at most times in summer weather,
llfracombe has always been a favourite sea-side sojourning place with the
people of Bristol (whence the place is easily reached by steamer), and the
inhabitants of North Devon generally. A trip by coach, about two hours
in length, takes the visitor Irom Barnstaple to this charming town, \\;hich
is celebrated for its " tors " and fine walks in the vicinity. Several of these
tors — craggy heights — are 400 feet above sea level. They are chiefly found
to westward of the town, one of them, the Capstone, a huge cone of dark
rock, being utilized as a promenade, a road having been cut high up on the
face of the living rock. It is from this sheltering Capstone that a pier

BATHING COVE, ILFRACOMBE: NORTH DEVON.

shoots out and forms the harbour which has helped to make llfracombe
prosperous.

On the right a lofty stretch of land, which shelters the town from the east
winds, is called Helesborough. The Lantern rock, also on the east, bears
the lighthouse, which has been constructed out of an old chapel dedicated
to St. Nicholas, the patron saint of mariners.

Here in llfracombe the lieges maintain that the local junkets and squab-
pies are better than elsewhere in Devonshire. Let this be as it may, it is
certain that the far-famed clotted cream, the exquisite butter, and refreshing
cider of the west are quite as good here as anywhere in the county. That
is saying very much for them.

Amongst the lovely walks in and about llfracombe should be named
the way up Lantern Hill, that to the romantic cove of Wildersmouth,
where stands the exceedingly comfortable llfracombe Hotel, and the stroll
along the Seven Tors Road to ^Vhite Pebble Bay, where there is a rock

180

r^- ^

^ Ilfracombe. ^

called the Lover's Leap. A very pleasant walk will be found on the old I

Barnstaple Road, going across Winsome Farm, and returning by the
cemetery. Another may be taken over the headland to Rillage Point.
Of all these promenades, the Tors Walk (toll one penny) is the most
beautiful, while it is necessarily exclusive. Upon the pier, which is 850
feet in length, the sea breeze can at most times be enjoyed when under
the warm tors it is difficult to find fresh air.

Ilfracombe, however, is chiefly celebrated for its sea-bathing. The
water is always exceptionally clear and fresh, while the beach being shingly
very few weeds are to be found, and the air has that brisk perfume which
the sea-side atmosphere only possesses where the shore is free from marine
vegetation. The exhalations from sea-weed being disagreeable to many
persons, Ilfracombe possesses on this point exceptional advantages. The
principal bathing-places are situated behind the public Baths. They are
reached by various tunnels worked through the spurs of rocks lying between
the town and the rock-bound coves which form the thoroughly wind-pro-
tected bathing-pools.

Our engraving represents the bathing-cove in connection with the beach
devoted to ladies. This rock-bound pool is completely sheltered from
observation, and here every convenience for comfortable sea-bathing may
be found.

The best houses in Ilfracombe are to be found in Coronation and
Helesborough terraces, healthily standing — one on the slopes of the Runna-
cleaves, to the east of the town, the other near the Tors on the west.

The Baths were built in 1783. and are to be found at the entrance of a
tunnel which leads under the Runnaeleaves to a cave still called Crook-
horn Cavern, albeit the crooked crag, whence its name was derived, has
long since been washed away. This cavern is dry at low water, but is
an expanse of water at flood, except during three months of the year.
They tell you in Ilfracombe that it was in this cavern (of course during its
dry season) that Sir William Tracy, one of the more active assassins
engaged in the destruction of Thomas "k Becket, hid himself during some
weeks. The legendary addition, as to the peculiar mode in which he was
fed by his daughter, is possibly ratlicr borrowed from Roman history than
based upon truth.

The parish church should be visited. In itself it is a good specimen of
early Norman and later Gothic architecture. But to Englishmen jjcnerally
it will be interesting as containing the remains of an English sailor who
was well spoken of by Nelson. " A more enterprising, able, and gallant
officer," said the great- admiral, speaking of Captain Richard Bowen, R.X.,
slain in the unsuccessful attack upon Tencriffc, "does not grace His
Majesty's naval service.'' The government of his day refused Bowen a
monument in St. Paul's ; but his s])irit may well be contented with the
memorial raised to him in the parish church of healthy, breezy, lovely
Ilfracombe.

181

. <?5^_

BABBACOMBE BAY, DEVONSHIRE.

This charming sea-side retreat is more easily reached from the Torre
Station rather than that at Torquay. From Babbacombe Downs, where the
best houses are to be found, one of the most dehghtful of the delightful
views in South Devon is to be found. The eyes wander along the eastern
coast to Teignmouth, Starcross, over the Exe to Exmouth, and past this
point to those of Budleigh-Salterton and Sidmouth. The rich dark red of
the rocks, the deep tone of the sea, and the brilliant green of the meadows
topping the undulating cliffs form, with the vast expanse of the sky, a most
lovely panorama. Below, lies the well-sheltered beach, whence our view,
looking eastward, is taken. Here the waters are clear as crj'stal, and

BABBACOMBE BAY: NEAR TORQUAY.

plash over an expanse of such well-rounded pebbles, that the bather is
guaranteed from injury. To the eastward rises a mass of roseate rock, while
to the right lies the underclift", where the closely-sheltered houses promise a
pleasant refuge for the invalid. Here and at Torquay the arbutus grows
to its greatest English height, while myrtles bloom freely in the open air,
and geraniums form complete hedges. Above, on the breezy downs, quite
a town may now be seen, and here, visitors seeking invigorating sea-side
air, may readily find it, while sojourning in houses well guaranteed from
extreme heat, even in the hottest weather.

Babbacombe possesses the advantage of being rural and retired, while it
is only a drive of two or three miles over a road (which is a perfect avenue
of fine trees), and by the sea-wall, into charming Torquay. The w^lks
east and west over the downs are unparalleled. Indeed, Babbacombe, with
its lofty rocks, its beetling clifts, and its masses of deep shadowy foliage, is
a place to be remembered.

(^-

ANSTEY'S COVE, NEAR TORQUAY.

Anstev's Cove, as it is called by the authorities, Anstis Cove as the
"Thomas" of the place itself styles this charming retreat, is a spot as
romantic and isolated as any lover of solitude can desire. Not a house is
to be seen, the tumbled rocks on ever)' side appear the result of a terrible
and recent earthquake, while the only busy occupants seem to be the
moles. These droll animals are always throwing up the rich ruddy earth,
the result of the disintegration of the red sandstone formation of which to
a large extent the rocks of this district are composed.

The pebbly beach of Anstey's Cove offers a most lovely study of colours,
the prevailing tones being rose-pink, creamy-white, and a sober olive-green

ANSTEVS COVE: NEAR TORQUAY.

(which latter creates a charming effect), together with sparsely sown pebbles
of a canary yellow. To the left the jutting promontory of pale pink
stone is, by a freak of nature, cut into several angular peaks ; while to the
right sweeps a panorama of water-worn broken rocks of mossy green, a tinge
due to millions of tiny limpets which cling to the boulders, and soften their
outlines. The whole scene is shut out from the world, and is so given over
to nature that the honest mariner, Thomas aforesaid, who keeps here a
bathing-machine or two, and as many (lueer craft, together with a refresh-
ment and curiosity shanty, has found it imperative to warn in i)rint all
lieges of a sporting turn that the barn-door poultrj- pecking about are tame
and not wild fowl. Moreover, there is a classic votive oftering over the
door wliicli will enable the visitor at one and tlie same time to air his
Latin and exercise his wits. Anstey's Cove, in few words, offers an extent
of broken clifts, lovely beach, and clear water, backed by an exijuisite sweep
of landscape such as is presented by i'cw other spots.

1S3

DARTMOUTH.

Dartmouth and the Dart may well be called the English Rhine. Indeed,
at the entrance to the harbour the tower of the church of St. Petrox and the
bastions of Dartmouth Castle give to this point much of the appearance of
" dear Bingenon the Rhine;" while above the town the church of St. Clement
suggests one of those old castles which make the great German river so
thoroughly picturesque. Completely surrounded by beautifully undulating
and frequently wooded hills, it is difficult for the stranger at once to ascertain
where the entrance to the harbour may be found, or to discover the inland
course of the river.

The steam ferry communication between the eastern and western sides of

DARTMOUTH COVE.

the harbour now places Dartmouth in equally rapid and direct communica-
tion with the metropolis. The town itself is one of the most picturesque in
Devon. The houses dipping into the water give a quaint air to the place,
while the unique half-dozen houses in Duke Street are some of the finest
specimens of seventeenth-century buildings in the kingdom. The capitals
of the fine stone pillars supporting these houses bear the carved dates 1635
— 1640. The central and nearest perfect house, which still retains its bay
windows, corbels, and outer carvings generally, even to an exceedingly
good panelled street-door, may be inspected. From Newgrounds, the
tree-shaded public parade of Dartmouth, may be seen the stern of the
training-ship " Britannia," where the two elder sons of the Prince of
Wales are now studying navigation. Of these two royal cadets, the
younger, Prince George, appears to be the fevourite, as possessing more
of the sailorly character than his eLder brother.

184

,3^-

SHARPHAM HOUSE, ON THE DART.

All in the fair summer weather a toy steamer plies up and down the
lovely Dart, between Dartmouth and Totnes, where a shapely stone bridge
sufficiently intimates that steam navigation of the river ceases. The trip
up the Dart is only equalled hy the return voyage. Starting from Dart-
mouth, and leaving behind us picturesque St. Saviour's Church, with its
rare Spanish roof set in the midst of the quaint houses, and passing New-
grounds, which, by the way, are a hundred years old, and were formed by
filling up a useless harbour, we are soon abreast of the training-ship
"Britannia" and her attendant hulk, the " Hindostan,'' the vessels being
joined by a flying-bridge.

JKs

SHARI'llAM HOUSE, ON TIIK I'AKl.

Here the visitor will be told, if speaking to anyone acquainted with Dart-
mouth, how Prince George was " slated," e.xactly as any ordinary cadet would
have been, for swinging off by a rope from the training-ship into a boat, in-
stead of descending by the gangway. This sailorly act of lapsing discipline
is looked upon in Dartmouth as a proof that the Prince was a born sailor.

The first reach on the Dart is now made. No words can sufficiently
•well paint the sylvan beauties of this trip of ten miles or more, at a cost of
half-a-crown for the return fiire. The surprises on this little voyage are
infinite, including the Scold's Rock in mid-stream. Sharpham or Sher-
bourne House marks one of the most romantic stretches on the Dart, and
is interesting in itself as the residence of the late Mr. Durant, who, from
being a poor boy in this neighbourhood, rose to be a millionaire, dying
recently full of years and honour. Totnes reached, its rare old Norman
Castle should be visited.

1S5 B

— Q^

PLYMOUTH.

Plymouth Sound may be described as an inland sea, for landlocked
on three sides, the breakwater stretches across its mouth, admitting of
harbourage for a vast quantity of shipping. Plymouth and its neighbourhood
are especially healthy, as the cheeks of the dark-eyed lasses who pass you
in the streets sufficiently demonstrate. Nor are the necessaries of life dear,
if proper precautions are used in marketing. In the engraving the
observer is looking from below the obelisk on the east, towards Stone-
house, and over towards Mount Edgcumbe, where may be found one
of the loveliest parks in England. A little distance in advance a number
of very good houses are in the course of building. These residences will

-.::^g^!^MM^"_L

PLYMOUTH.

be admirably sheltered from behind, while they will possess an uninterrupted
view of the sea.

Life at Plymouth is very pleasant. One of several military bands plays
daily on the celebrated Hoe, that breezy meadow which crests the hill and
which forms the inner end of the Sound, while the multitudinous vessels
give an exceptional animation to this part of Devonshire. Drake and
Howard, Lord Admirals, were at bowls on the Hoe when the news came
of the approach of the Armada,

The government establishments at Devonport, which \nth Stonehouse
and Plymouth practically form one vast town, may be visited after but
little trouble in gaining admittance, while the drives and views in the
vicinity form a mingled panorama of ordinarily peaceful sea and luxuriantly
cultivated undulating landscape.

Plymouth was the result, in the first place, of the fostering care of the
priors of Plympton ; but its true expansion is due to the splendid shelter

i86

^?^

Plymouth.

afforded by the depth of the Sound, its direct projection into the land, and
the continuous height of the surrounding hills, which completely shelter these
waters.

Even so early as 1346 Plymouth was an important naval station, for it
fitted out twenty-five small ships with a complement of six hundred and
three mariners, destined to the blockade of Calais. But it was at the i)eriod
of the threatened invasion in 1588 that Plymouth came out in thorough
force, and equipped a greater number of vessels than any other port in
England — London e.xcepted. By the way, the Spanish admiral, calculating
on certain success, decided to fix his residence upon Mount Edgcumbe.

During the civil war Plymouth declared for the Parliamentarians, and
held their town against the best efforts of the Royalists. In 18 15 Napoleon
was brought here, a prisoner in the " Bellerophon," upon a gangway of
which vessel of war the fallen emperor would frecjuently present himself
and bow to the excited people when boats from the shore crowded about
his floating prison.

There is at present no port in the English Channel where so great an
amount of business is done as at Plymouth, and where so much shipping
is employed. In recent years Plymouth has become a port of emigration
to Australia. Here mackerel is sometimes taken in vast (luantities. As
many as half a million have in one day got into the Sound, despite the
breakwater which stretches in great measure from shore to shore. This
quantity of fish will reaHze at least ^£"2,000. Plymouth lias produced many
great men, especially artists, amongst whom Samuel Prout is undoubtedly
the greatest, while Haydon, his companion, was certainly the most un-
fortunate. Sir J, Hawkins, who commanded the rear of the fleet which
defeated the Spanish Armada, was born here.

The high lands of Mount Edgcumbe, southward and westward, protect
Plymouth from the extreme violence of the terrible south-western Altantic
storms ; while Stoddon heights, and the high lands south and east, i)reserve
the place from the south-east gales. The atmosphere of Plymouth is
primarily depressing to strangers, but its effect upon natives is evidently
exhilarating. Plymouth is, in its best parts, eminently calculated as a
winter residence for invalids, and the houses being chiefly built of hard
limestone, they do not suffer, as would brick, from the moist but j)leasant
equable air of this part of England. Plymouth possesses a good theatre,
and to lovers of the dramatic art the town will not be any the less interest-
ing that here the elder Charles Mathews lies buried. The gateway to the
citadel is worth a visit, while for those who do not care to walk, various
winding roads have recently been formed upon the Hoe, commonly called
" the lungs of Plymouth." The breakwater may be visited. From it, about
a dozen miles in a westward direction may be seen the Eddystone Light-
house. Saltram House, to which access is readily obtained, should be
visited ; nor should Plympton be neglected ; while the i)ark of Mount
Edgcumbe may be seen many times with increasing interest.

NEW QUAY SANDS: NORTH CORNWALL.

New Quay is reached by a branch from the main line at Par. Situated
on tlie north coast of Cornwall, and therefore an invigorating spot even in
the height of summer, it is guarded from the east winds by a noble and
sweephig stretch of rocks which may be followed by the eye for many miles.
But the great charm of New Quay is its sands, some of the most extensive
and unbroken in England. At Forth, the bay adjacent to that about which
New Quay is built, the sands at low water stretch half a mile from high-water
mark. And here by the way are to be found several very remarkable caverns,
of which the Banqueting Hall is the finest. Ft has much the appearance of
a handsome Gothic interior, while its neighbour and rival, the Cathedral
Cave, boasts some fine water-worn columns.

NEW QUAY SANDS: NORTH CORNWALL.

A great advantage possessed by New Quay Sands takes the shape of iso-
lated boulders of black rock, which retain their low temperature, owing to
their size, the whole time that the tide is out, so that upon the hottest sum-
mer day cool shadow can always be found near these convenient places of
rest. The sands stretch for miles on every side, and so level are they that
at low water the harbour is almost drv'.

The fresh breezy beach here is rapidly bringing this place into note,
while the springy, undulating downs above the towTi afford an admirable
riding-ground ; as, indeed, at low water do the sands, which are then hard
and firm. All the sand is never wholly covered by the sea. There is
always enough for the occupation of the children's spades.

The town is protected from all winds except the north and north-western,
while a very considerable sum has recently been expended upon drainage.
An hotel, to the right of the town, and standing in its own grounds, has
recently been completed.

1 88

TOWAN HEAD— NEW QUAY.

The Towan Head, to the west of New Quay, is one of the finest pro-
montories, jutting far out into the sea, possessed by this or any other portion
of the English coast. From the outskirts of the town to the abrupt craggy
termination of this breezy peninsula, the visitor passes over (luite a mile of
winding roadway, with the beating, seething sea not only ahead of him, but
on both sides, and far behind. To go to the end of Towan Head is prac-
tically to be at sea.

The point of the Towan is composed of a fine mass of broken black
rock, which the sea has through the ages worn into strange and even
eccentric forms. Far adown, the curious observer, possessed of ner%'e
sufficient to allow of his approaching the edge of the cliff, may at low water

TOWAN HEAD, NEW QUAY: NORTH CORNWALL.

mark a little beach, perfectly inaccessible from above, and lying cosily in
the midst of the worn and shining rocks. From the summit of the Towan
Head the visitor will remark on the left some remains of a massive
breakwater, built some (juarter of a century since, but which was power-
less to resist the terrible force of the western wind and wave from the
mighty Atlantic. Its remains stand a noble testimony to the energy and
liberality of a gentleman of the neighbourhood, who endeavoured to form a
harbour for the fishing craft of North Cornwall when caught in a westerly
gale.

It has been in contemplation to obtain a good shelter in New Quay Bay
by the erection of a breakwater, shooting from the eastern side of the Towan,
and thereby avoiding the awful force of the western wind and water. Such
a breakwater (which, according to the calculations of an eminent engineer,
would cost half a million of money) would yield a harbour such as the
north coast of Cornwall does not yet possess.

g 1S9

^3^ ^ —

BEDRUTHAN STEPS— NEW QUAY.

Bedruthan Steps lead to a beautiful bit of the north coast of Cornwall
which is reached by a branch line from Par, terminating at New Quay.

The line in question passes for the first miles of the run through
some very romantic scenery, and finally, when Luxulyan is reached, cuts
through some fine moors, dotted with many mine-heads. Nor should the
celebrated Roche Rock be missed. This is a towering mass of almost
perpendicular granite, rising hundreds of feet from nearly level ground.

Bedruthan Sands is about an hour's brisk drive from New Quay, while
there is a short way of about seven miles along the coast which must delight
the pedestrian. The name is derived from the steps cut in the living

BEDRUTHAN STEPS : NORTH COAST OF CORNWALL.'

rock where it offered the least difficulties. Recently some of these half-
natural, half-cut steps gave way, and fell to the sands below, but others
have been made, and the rough uneven stone flight is now once more
easily available.

A wild, strange, savage bit of huge rock-laden shore is seen when the
sands are reached ; and here, in the midst of the scattered rocks, worn
smooth at their edges by the ceaseless waters, stands the celebrated Queen
Bess Rock, probably that chief attraction which for so many years has
drawn most visitors to the coast of North Cornwall as far as this remote and
solitary spot. The inhabitants on the cliff above Bedruthan Steps are few
and singularly primitive. Indeed, it may be unhesitatingly asserted that
here we are in the wildest portion of Cornwall, and amongst the most
superstitious of Cornish people. At Bedruthan they will point you out
haunted spots by the dozen — that is, if you once gain the Cornish confi-
dence, a matter which requires but little effort.

190

QUEEN BESS ROCK— BEDRUTHAN.

The locality of Bedruthan Steps has been described as " a scene of
gigantic confusion mingled with the most peaceful beauty." In the midst
of the expanse of broken stone stands the Queen Bess Rock, a towering
utterly inaccessible mass of stone, standing well out seawards, and in which
the willing visitor may readily detect a likeness to the Virgin Queen, wear-
ing crown, ruff, and farthingale. Looking out to sea as it stands, the figure
seems to be making a stately courtesy to that Spanish Armada whose
coming was looked upon by the Cornish men with more interest perhaps
than by the men of other counties, simply because Cornwall might be the
first English land the Spaniards would sight.

V3^'

QUEEN BESS ROCK, 15EDRU i'HAN bitl'a: .NORIU CUK.NU.VLL.

It would be an interesting inquiry as to when its apposite name was
given to the rock. The oldest inhabitant knows nothing beyond this, that
it was called Queen Bess Rock when he was a "chick." The use of the
name "Bess" rather than Elizabeth suggests antiquity in the first appli-
cation of the name. And when we remember how intimately Elizabeth
was associated with the Armada, when we recall how bold Admiral Drake
was a western man, and how Sir Walter Raleigh was certainly more than
once within a day's ride of this spot, we may fairly opine that the rock gained
its name during the reign of the lion-hearted woman herself, and that the
fitness of the appellation was intensified by the peculiar mocking aspect of
the rock as it seemed, and seems, to make an obeisance in the very direc-
tion where the Armada met with its heaviest losses.

The influence of Elizabeth in the West extended even to the Scilly Isles,
where the famous initials E. R. may still be observed over the gateway of
the Star Castle, St. Mary's Island.

191

«?^

PENDENNIS CASTLE: FALMOUTH.

Falmouth is a more convenient point than Penzance whence to visit
the Lizard Point. But whether the visitor go to one or the other town,
Helstone must be traversed in order to reach the most southern land in all
England. It is to Falmouth also that the tourist must take his way in
order to reach Pendennis Castle, one of the most historical in England.

The castle occupies the promontory to the right of the town, and is built
upon a bold abrupt hill quite two hundred feet above the level of the sea.
Some years since a very pleasant drive was made completely round the
outer wall of Pendennis Castle, which includes fourteen acres within its
boundaries. The round tower, of the time of Henry VIII., may be taken
as its centre, about which the other buildings have been grouped.

Colonel Fortescue on land,
governor, Sir John Arundel.

PENDENNIS CASTLE : FALMOUTH.

This handsome keep was of course en-
larged by Queen Elizabeth, who kept a
sharp eye upon the defences of the West,
she being ever in doubt as to the Spanish
policy. The entire castle affords the idea
of a fortress of great strength. The modern
engineer, however, pronounces it to be
old-fashioned. The great fame of Pen-
dennis Castle dates from 1646, when Cava-
liers and Roundheads equally showed what
courage and determination could achieve.
But Admiral Batten at sea, together with
were too much for the stout old cavalier

193

KYNANCE COVE.

Kynaxce Cove should be visited at low water, or its greatest beauties
will not be realized. In our engraving the tide is at flood.

From this district is obtained that serpentine marble which is very
rapidly becoming fashionable. And in so many varieties is serpentine
found, that the most careless visitor may in a few moments gather a dozen
differing specimens from amongst the stones at his feet.

Certain caverns are a great attraction here. These have been slowly
beaten out of the solid rock by the sea. Here picnics are held, as also on
the adjacent rocks styled Asparagus Island, a name rationally given to the
group of rocks, as in their fissures wild asparagus is found. It is upon this
island that the " Post Office" and the " Bellows " are to be found. The for-

-NANCK COVL: M.

mer consists of a hole in the solid rock, wherein an envelope being thrown,
it is delivered some yards away from an orifice, whence it falls into a shallow
pool. This postal delivery can only be witnessed when the Bellows are at
work. Both phenomena are due to wind and wave battling in a water-worn
rock-hole. At times the roar of the Bellows is very fine. The rush of the
foaming, milk-white mingled air and water leaping from their imprisonment
in the hole, and which of course accompanies the roar, afibrds a delightful
surprise. The Queen and the Prince Consort visited lovely Kynance Cove
in their early married days, and during nearly a score of summers aftenvards
a certain archway of serpentine which the Prince much admired was
named after him. It fell somewhere about the year in which he died.
The sea at Kynance is excjuisitely green, and fosters certain rare plants and
sea anemones, while on every side mighty headlands give noble distance
to the panoramic scene.

1 93

^i^

THE LIZARD HEAD AND LIGHTS.

Lizard Head is about a mile and a half from Kynance Cove, the rocks
and cliffs of which it certainly rivals in strength, loneliness, and savage
grandeur. But it has no pretence to the beauty of that lovely spot. Here
the awful black bulwarks of Cornwall are utterly broken, defiant, and mo-
numental. Nor is there any greater charm at this point than to turn from
the stern splendour of the massive iron-bound coast sullenly bearing the
assaults of the sea, which is here rarely peaceful, and search over the close-
lying heather at one's feet for specimens of the exquisite wild heaths, which
are found in exceptional abundance and variety. There is one little white
specimen which may be found boldly blooming even to the end of October.

The Lizard is interesting as being the last Eng-
lish land seen by those who sail south and pass
out of the Channel in fair weather. The Lizard
Lights may be visited. The men on duty will be
found very pleasant and communicative, espe-
cially if the exquisite cleanliness of the light-
house should be praised, while the more intel-
ligent visitor will be touched by the appearance
of the " garden." The point on which the light-house is built being too ex-
posed to admit of the cultivation of flowers, the old sailors (always a kindly
race), who have the honoured care of the light, have created for themselves
a garden of variously coloured stones, chiefly from Kynance Cove, which they
have laid out in parti-coloured beds, with walks between, and neat edges, the
whole effected, with a tender sense of gardening, after a manner quite delight-
ful to behold. There are many points of interest in the neighbourhood ;
and if the inns are unpretending, their viaterers are certainly hospitable.

194

TREGENNA CASTLE AND ST. IVES.

Tregenna Castle, now an hotel, boasts of one of the tinest situations
in North Cornwall. It is reached by the branch line, opened a year or two
since, from St. Eorth to St. Ives, the head-quarters of the pilchard fisherj-.
Tregenna Castle is, however, situated far above this intricate, though
picturesque, little town.

Tregenna is located about half a mile from St. Ives, and at a height of
one hundred and fifty feet above high water. It is an embattled and
turreted building, warm and dry, owing to the thickness of its granite walls.
It still retains the appearance ot a gentleman's ancient seat, while the
grounds which surround the building are exceptionally beautiful and sylvan.

TKEGKNNA CAbll.L.

Within the hundred acres to which the grounds extend, there arc various
groves of ivy-mantled trees on every side, so that whichever way the wind
may blow, the visitor can always find a sheltered walk. The general mild-
ness of the climate here is proved by the numberless ferns which continue
to carpet the dells even in the severest weather. At the same time
(Tregenna and St. Ives Bay facing the north), the place is never relaxing,
and even in the height of summer the hill is rarely sultry. There is a fiirm
attached to the castle, and from this spot is supplied much of the dairy
produce required by visitors. The nooks and arbours here are extremely
beautiful; while a private road leads down to the Mcster shore, a carpet-
like stretch of unbroken sand, separated from busy St. Ives by a spur of
granite shooting far into the sea. The views are perfectly charming. On
the right the " towans," a line of sandy hills or dunes, carry the eye to
CiuU Island. To the left, the town, built uj^on a series of broken hills,
rises towards what is called the Island — a towering promontory.

195

3s>-

'n^-

PENZANCE.

The continuous mildness of the climate in this the " last town " in Eng-
land is convincingly proved by the abundance and variety of the vegetation
throughout the whole district of which Penzance may be called the capital.
That intense verdure in evergreens (especially in the varieties of pines) which
is only remarked near springtime in most parts of England, may be observed
at Penzance in the depth of what in other places is the winter season, but
which is here, except upon rare occasions, perpetual summer. In most
cottage windows, having a sunny aspect, common hardy geraniums may be
seen in flower even during January. Nay, ordinary begonias, when once
in bloom, will do well in an ordinary window, and continue to bloom in the

m?'S£k

-i^aw-W*^_ 1 Sir -r

PENZANCE, FROM THE ESPLANADE.

coldest months. Fuchsias kept indoors rarely if ever completely shed
their leaves.

Penzance itself cannot boast of any particular attractions, but it is excep-
tionally healthy, while the inhabitants are singularly kind-hearted, though
upon the surface they appear to be uncouth. Surrounded by hills on three
of its sides, the district is splendidly sheltered, and admits of the cultivation
of the more delicate vegetables at times of the year when most market-
gardens in England are practically unproductive.

Being only ten miles from the Land's End, Penzan< e is the starting-point
whence tourists radiate to the Logan Stone, the Land's End itself, the
Botallack mine, &c.

Not more than five or six miles from the town is to be found the cele-
brated mass of oscillating granite, upon which has been bestowed the title
of the Logan Stone. This time-worn granite boulder can be perceptibly
rocked by any person of moderate strength. The old belief that this

tq6

-"^^

*) Penzance. (t

boulder was a Druidic stone used for testing the innocence, or discovering
the guilt, of an accused person has long since been exploded. Granite
boulders have a tendency to grow round as they become weather worn, and
in this case, as in many others throughout the granite district, the upper
and movable stone has been steadily worn away at all points except where
it impinges upon an equally weather-smoothencd mass of granite. By
chance the stone thus becomes well-poised, and may be steadily rocked.
However, it has become a firmly beheved legend in the neighbourhood
that the Logan Stone has never rocked so well since it was jjulled back
into, or nearly into its place, after having been pushed from its fulcrum
early in this century by a careless party of British tars, who were compelled
to restore the stone to its original i^osition. The ravine' tit this point sweep-
ing clear into the sea is very fine. It requires steady ner\es and sure feet
to enable one to make the circuit of the Logan Stone.

Penzance itself is a straggling town, i)ossessed of some pretty nooks and
a handsome esplanade. The gentle nature of its inhabitants is suggested by
the fearlesness of small birds, and even by the friendliness of the dogs, while
gulls, rarely scared by the report of a gun, flock in vast numbers in and about
the harbour, where frequently several hundreds may be seen floating or
feeding in crowded but well-defined communities. Penzance has few archi-
tectural points of interest. The statue of Sir Humphrey Davy, who was born
here, is a striking piece of sculpture, while the Town Hall and I^Larket
House form a stately building. But it is in the neighbourhood of Penzance
that the visitor will find much to delight him ; unexpected caves and breaks
in the cliff surprise him constantly if he wanders west, while the views from
the range of hills behind the town are very varied. If, however, the visitor
walks towards the east, and in the direction of St. Michael's Mount, he will
find himself in a charming valley, with prolific and undulating uplands stretch-
ing away to the hills far above him. So fertile indeed is the land about
Pen;rance, that a certain portion consisting of about one thousand acres, pro-
duces a rental of ;^io,ooo.

In the town, where it is said Sir Walter Raleigh first smoked tobacco in
England, and at the western corner of the market-house, is to be found an
ancient granite cross ; while the one really fine architectural feature of the
town is the group of municipal and institutional edifices known as St. John's
Buildings, which include a Masonic Hall. The exterior is thoroughly good
and admirably harmonious. The saint, by the way, to whom these build-
ings are dedicated is honoured in Penzance much after the fashion
prevailing on the opposite side of the Channel, and indeed throughout Brit-
tany. On the eve of St. John the Baptist the youth of the town insist,
despite police regulations, upon a noisy torch-light procession, after which
a strange winding dance is i:)erformed. The more advanced antiquarians
are inclined to see in this peculiar institution a reminiscence of the fire-
worship which undoubtedly i)receded the Druidic worship in all Western
Europe. In short, Penzance thoroughly rcjxiys a visit.

•-^

'U^-

ST. MICHAEL'S MOUNT.

Not more than two miles to the east of Penzance, St. Michael's Mount
rears its noble height of yellow-grey granite and craggy slate, boldly croNvned
with a beautiful chapel and a castellated mansion. St. Michael's Mount
was probably the first place in England to which Christianity was brought,
possibly in the fifth century. St. Michael's should be gained on foot, of
course from Penzance, for every step of the way is picturesfjue and varied.
The mount, which is about a quarter of a mile from the main land, may
be reached by a rough road during a third of the day. At other times a
boat brings the islet in communication with the shore.

The steep path to the castle winds amongst rabbit warrens, the inhabitants

isT. MICHAEL S MUUNT : PENZANCE.

of which, having no experience of dogs, shot, and powder, stare at the
intruder or slowly get away to cover. Then the old fortifications, still with
their cannon pointed, are reached, and finally the buildings, which can
always be seen at any reasonable hour. To the unpractised eye the place
appears to be quite new. This freshness is, however, but on the surface.
Antiquity is there, as the visitor strikingly feels when he is shown a recently
discovered subterranean way on the right of the chapel to a small dungeon,
where was found a human skeleton of almost gigantic size.

The Chevy Chace room shares the visitor's interest with the celebrated
St. Michael's Chair, which is actually the remains of the stone frame-work of
a beacon fire-holder. This chair is situated on an outermost angle of the
tower of the church, and it requires iron nerves to enable the visitor to take
that seat in it which traditionally gives a husband or wife rule over the
house — a legend based on a keen knowledge of humanity, for only a
powerful will could force its owner to " take the chair."' The panorama
of land and water as seen from the Mount is exceptionally splendid.

-^^^_J.

THE LAND'S END.

No district affords such marvellous contrasts between fair and tempes-
tuous weather as the bleak downs, broken land, and massive cliffs which
go to make up the Land's End. It is a paradise of surprises. When the
wind is hushed and the sun is pouring its magic rays over the Cornish
woodlands, then the scene is one of enchantment. Colours of the brightest
yet of the most evanescent character merge into each other, and form
a panorama of unbroken beauty. Nevertheless the Lind's End is most
magnificent in its rugged grandeur — when the raging sea is driving its
swift waters far up over the defiant, frowning, iron-like coast, which merely
frowns as the silver sword-like thrusts of angry waters strike up and

1,A^ 11 ^^ l-.Mi.

along the sullen rock-bound undulating coast-line. The wind-worried roll
of Atlantic waters dashes upon the last land in England, the water leaps
up even to the very brow of the overhanging cliffs, while the storm birds,
white and soaring, give an added splendour to the noble scene.

Here, as the land breaks into craggy islets, broken, scattered ledges and
points of rocks, is seen the Longship light-house, calm and serene, steadily
served, while every night its light shines out clear and bright.

There are a score of interesting points in the neighbourhood, notably
Botallack Tin Mine and Tintagel Castle, both within easy walking distance.
On a very fine summer day it is possible to see certain faint darkish
spots on the horizon. These are the Scilly Islands. It is between the
Land's End and the Scilly Islands where lies the submcrgetl land of
Lyonesse, once the country over which ruled King Arthur. No part of
England is so rich in folk-lore, and in (^uaint, innocent superstitions, as the
Land's End.

199

THE SCILLY ISLES.

Wending your way to the point of the extension pier at Penzance
you may find a small steamer, perchance " The Queen of the Isles," steam up
and prepared for that voyage of four hours in fair weather, which carries the
visitor to the Scilly Isles. The granite rocks, and they are little more, which
are collectively called the Scilly Islands are literally about three hundred.
But not many can boast a blade of grass, and only five are actually inha-
bited. Of the islands St. Mary's is the principal. It contains considerably
beyond a thousand inhabitants, more than double the number of the occu-
pants of the other four inhabited isles, while its acreage nearly equals that
of the remainder, the names of which are Tresco, St. Martin's, St. Agnes,

rr-v ~^^'^^ii'^^^^^^

;ft;§^0^^.^.

SCILLY ISLES, LOOKING FROM ST. MARY S.

and Bryher. Samson, the next in point of size, boasts not a single inhabi-
tant. A week may be very pleasantly spent in the Scilly Isles.

There are some remarkable rocks in these islets, especially the Nag's
Head, and the Hatchet and Block, while the most remarkable sight is the
litter of Western Isles, the scene of many shipwrecks, and where the Bishop
lighthouse is built far in advance of those dangerous points.

Once in the Scilly Isles, and necessarily landing in St. Mary's, the visitor
will do well to make a tour round Star Castle. He should then make for
the rocks at Peninnis.

The best points in St. Mary's visited, the visitor will do wisely to visit
Tresco, where at Pentle Bay many fine shells ma,y be found. In Tresco
and at the abbey lived the late lord proprietor of the isles, Augustus Smith,
to whom the Scilly islanders owe very much of their present prosperity. Mr.
Smith, who died in 1872, was the introducer of the successful early potato
culture into these islands. The lighthouse of St. Agnes, and that of the
Bishop Rock, should be visited.

203

^3^

ti^r^

THE SOUTH-WEST.

-0^=^

The most characteristic shape of England is that long stretch of bold
coast-line, whose ultimate point is the Lands End. In a rough way it may
be said, that between London, Devon, and Cornwall lies the district of the
London and South-Western. Its main terminus at Waterloo still retains
some of the peculiarities that railways possessed before they were
admitted into the heart of London, but this removal of the main terminus
from the centre of London life is compensated by the fact that the trains
of the London and South Western now work in unison with the District,
and run over its territorj' to the station at Mansion House. The route over
the main line may be very briefly described. Leaving Waterloo we see the
Houses of Parliament, the Victoria tower of which is 336 feet high ; and
Lambeth Palace, for nearly 700 years the residence of the Archbishops of
Canterbury. Twelve miles from London we are at Kingston-on-Thames, a
large and growing suburb of the metropolis. Two miles further is Esher,
once the residence of Wolsey : and a small castled turret near the river
Mole is pointed out as the place of his temporary imprisonment. At the
opposite end of the village is the park of Claremont, in the palace of which
the death of the lamented Princess Charlotte took place, in 181 7. Here
Louis Philippe and his ex-queen passed the last years of their exile, and
died. Seventeen miles from London we are at the village of Walton-upon-
Thames, an agreeable spot for a day's excursion from town. Here Bradshaw,
one of the judges of Charles I., resided; here Admiral Rodney was born,
and here, in the vestry of St. Mary's Church, the " Gossip's bridle " is pre-
served. We next pass Weybridge, where Louis Philippe and his (lueen
were buried ; and then we observe the Royal Dramatic College for aged
actors and actresses, and the cemetery of Brookwood, near Woking ; and
as we run along the Frimley embankment the eye ranges over a wide stretch
of pleasant country, with hills and wooded dales. Crossing a streamlet we
leave Surrey for Hampshire, and reach Farnborough Station, where we are
not far from Aldershot. Passing Fleet, with its lakes, and Winchfield, we
notice, upon our left, the ruins of Basing House, valiantly defended for the
King, and after four years' siege captured by Cromwell, and burnt to the
ground. At Basingstoke we see the town lying in a hollow, and in the
cemetery on our right the remains of what is known as the ''Holy (Ihost
Chapel." A short distance south of Basingstoke, two main linos of the
railway diverge : the one being the old high road to Winchester and
Southam])ton, with its tributary branches ; the other the great thoroughf.irc
to the south-west, through Salisbury to Exeter. The line is now running
over part of what was once Salisbury Plain : and, eighty-three miles
from London we arrive at Salisbury. This station has lately been
greatly enlarged. To our left, in the centre of the city, rises to a height
of 400 feet the noble spire of the Cathedral, the highest in England. It

-^^

r-^^ ei^

^ The SorUh-WesL '^

is justly the pride of the inhabitants of Salisbury. Standing in the midst
of a wide-spread well-kept grassy lawn, and surrounded with trees, it gives,
as Mr. Rickman says, the best general view of a cathedral to be had in
England, and displays the various parts to the greatest advantage. On
the right of the line the bold and remarkable earthworks of Old Sarum are
seen, for many years the site of one of the principal towns of the kingdom.
Sarum was the Roman station Sorbiodunum, meaning " the dry city."
From hence six Roman roads diverged. Though not a house remained,
Sarum returned two members to Parliament until the passing of the Reform
Bill. The elm tree under which the elections took place may easily be found.
At Wilton the first manufactory of carpets is said to have been estabUshed,
and it is still carried on. Axminster, Persian, and hand-made Brussels are
produced here. The town stands in a broad rich valley near the confluence
of the Nadder and Wyly. A battle was fought here between King Alfred
and the Danes. When Sarum declined Wilton rose into importance ; when
the Great Western Road was made it was the "totale cause," says Lelandj
" of the ruine of Wiltown." Wilton House, the seat of the Earl of Pembroke,
is celebrated for its marbles and pictures. It may be seen on Wednesdays
and Fridays. It is surrounded by a deer-park. Dinton House, near the
next station, is on the river Nadder, and was the birth-place of the great Lord
Cl-arendon. Passing the great village of Tisbury, in the churchyard of which
is a yew-tree 30 feet in circumference, we reach Semley, loi miles from
London. The tower of the church may be seen from the line. Temple
Combe is an important junction of the South Western and INIidland Com-
panies—the joint owners of the Somerset and Dorset lines. There is
now easy and through communication between the Midland districts and
Bristol and Bath, via Temple Combe, to Wimborne, Poole, Bournemouth,
and the south and south-west coasts. Sherborne, 118 miles from town,
has one of the finest old churches in the west of Englan(\ It was
once a cathedral but the bishopric was removed to Old Sarum in 1075.
Macready lived at Sherborne House. Sherborne Castle was partly built
by Sir Walter Raleigh, amid sheltering woods and picturesque scenery.
Yeovil Junction comes next. Passing the pleasantly situated market-town
of Crewkerne and Chard Junction, we arrive at Axminster, a town men-
tioned in the will of King Alfred, and at one time famous for its carpets ;
the name survives, but the manufacture has departed. Seaton Junction is
now reached, from near which a glance may be had of the sea, the only
one in our journey. Seven miles further we pass Honiton, renowned for
its lace ; Ottery Road for Ottery-St.-Mary, and Sidmouth ; Whimple, with
the square embattled tower of its church and its pretty railway station ;
Broad Clyst, which derives its name from the river; Pinhoe, the church
of which used to serve as a landmark for ships, and we are at Exeter.
A pleasant branch, skirting the Exe, will take us forward to the delight-
ful sea-coast towm of Exmouth ; or another line will carry us from Exeter
across Devon to the charming scenery that skirts the Bristol Channel.

202

^^ ^

RICHMOND AND KEW.

The glories of Richmond Hill have often been painted by pencil and by
pen. Sir Walter Scott describes "the pleasant village'' and the "com-
manding eminence, where the beauty of English landscape is displayed
in its utmost luxuriance." The present day sees Richmond take a leading
position as a fiishionable suburb of London, the railway ha\ing brought it
within a comfortable residential relation to the heart of business life. It
has grown immensely in mere point of increase in its inhabitants ; but its
great natural position, together with its notoriety for genial dinners, retains
for it a high reputation as a pleasant place for an outing. The great park
was not enclosed till the time of Charles I. It is nearly nine miles in cir-

cumference, and includes some 2,250 acres. On the grassy lawns and
beneath the deep woods of the Park some 1,600 fallow deer, and 70 or So
red deer find their haunts and home. To obtain a complete view of its
picturesque scenery, the tourist is recommended to enter the park at Rich-
mond Hill Gate ; to cross it in a southerly direction towards Kingston ;
then to keep along the borders to the Roehampton entrance, and thence
to the lodge at East Sheen. The White Lodge stands on a height at the
end of the Queens' Drive. It belongs to the Prince of Wales. At
Pembroke Lodge, Earl Russell spent his declining days. Kew is a
picturescjuc village, famous the world over for its Botanical (lardens
They include an Orangery 142 feet long, a Palm House, one of the finest
in Euroi^e, a Pinetum, Tropical Houses, Ferneries, &c., each of which con
tains countless objects of the greatest interest. The house called " the
Palace," a Tudor building of red brick, is supposed to have been built
by a Dutch merchant, named Portman. Kew Green is one of the most
quaint bits of scenery round the Metropolis.

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\A^INDSOR.

The visitor to Windsor has the choice of three routes. Trains run over
the Metropol tan and Metropolitan District Lines, in addition to those
from the main terminus at Waterloo. Taking our course by way of Rich-
mond into the " Royal" County' of Berks, we skirt the Home Park until the
magnificent Castle breaks upon our view, and in a few minutes we reach
our destination. No one can here pause and gaze upon the stately towers
of "Windsor's Castled Keep" without emotion. It is not only that its
appearance to-day is in the highest degree imposing and impressive, but
that the mind also travels back to the times when, in the days of the
Norman Conqueror, and often since, great events have been transacted,

and a long line of statesmen, warriors, churchmen, and courtiers, have
taken their part in guiding, for good or for ill, the course of our national
history. In this immediate neighbourhood stalwart barons compelled
King John to sign the first Great Charter of the people's rights. Later on
York and Lancaster struggled for the possession of the Castle. Within its
walls " Tudors signed decrees to light the fires of Smithfield, and Cromwell
declared to Continental despotism that no man should be persecuted on
account of his Protestantism." But we must not longer linger. The
"hundred steps" are the shortest approach from the South Western
Station to the Castle. But we prefer to go round to the gateway of
Henry VIII. It is flanked by two octagonal towers. Opposite to it is
St. George's Chapel, one of the finest examples of perpendicular Gothic, an
" exquisite gem of our florid architecture." Nearly the whole of it was
built in the reign of Edward IV., the stone roof of the choir being added
by Henry VII. No part of the interior is left unornamented. Beneath the
organ screen we enter the choir, "where,"' says INIurray, " the richness of

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IVindsor.

the architecture and splendour of the dark oak is increased by the effect of
the escutcheons, hehnets, banners, and mantles of the Knights of the Garter
suspended over the stalls. Here the installation ceremonies of the Order
have been performed ever since their first celebration on St. George's Day,
1349." Here Henry VHI. was buried '■ by his true and loving wife Queen
Jane," and here also Charles I. was laid, " his pall white with the snow
which fell upon it in its passage to the chapel.'' The round tower or keep
of the Castle, formerly called "La Rose,' was built by Edward HI. He
was born at Windsor, and he resolved here to raise an edifice which should
surpass the palaces of his predecessors, and he entrusted the work to one
who was worthy of the task — William of Wykeham. The tower stands on
the summit of an artificial mound, and rises 300 feet above the Park. In
clear weather — as a board on the battlements informs us — twelve counties
may be seen : Middlesex, Essex, Herts, Bucks, Berks, Wilt?, Oxford, Hants,
Kent, Sussex, Surrey, and Bedford. When the Queen resides at Windsor
the Royal Standard floats above.

The north terrace was the work of Queen Elizabeth. It is a third of a
mile in length. It was a favourite walk of that Queen, and has been of all
her successors. Pepys says that "the prospect is the best in the world,
sure ; " and Evelyn declares that " the terrace towards Eton, with the park,
meandering Thames, and sweet meadows, yield one of the most delightful
prospects in the world." The State Apartments are opened gratuitously to
the public on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, in the absence
of the Court, and are shown in the following order : — The Queen's Audience
Chamber, the ceiling of which is by Verrio. The Gobelin tapestry repre-
sents the history of Esther and Mordecai. There are also portraits, and
a picture of Mar)' Queen of Scots, "daughter, consort, and mother of
kings " as she is described, with the scene of her execution at Fotheringay
in the background. The Vandyke Room comes next. It has an extra-
ordinary series of portraits by that great master. We now enter the Queen's
State Drawing Room, with large pictures by Zuccarelli ; then the Queen's
Closet; the King's Closet, adorned with marine emblems; the King's
Drawing Room or the Rubens Room, filled with portraits by Rubens ;
the Council Chamber; the Vestibule; the Grand Staircase, containing
Chantrey's statue of George IV. ; the Grand Vestibule, 47 feet long and
nearly as high, with banners, armour, and cannon ; the Waterloo Chamber,
in the Elizabethan style, nearly 100 feet in length, the walls of which are
covered with portraits, by Sir Thomas Uiwrence, of all the chief persons
who took i)art in the wars that ended with the battle at Waterloo : the
Throne Room, with carvings by Gibbons ; the Ball Room, 90 feet long,
which has Gobelin tapestry presented by Charles X. ; St. George's Hall, 200
feet long, where the Knights of the Garter receive their investiture ; and
the Guard Chamber, filled with armour, including that of John of France,
taken at Poictiers, and David of Scotland, and having at the end of the
room, cMi part of the mast of the " Victor)'," a bust of Nelson, by Chantrey.

205 I
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ETON.

"The College -^f the Blessed Mary of Eton, beside Windsor,'' was
founded in 1440, by Henry the Sixth, when he was eighteen years of age,
on the Buckinghamshire bank of the Thames. For the execution of
the buildings he provided funds, appointed the architect, and exercised
supervision over the men employed upon tlie works. As the building
grew towards completion he framed a charter of foundation, gave an
endowment from his own demesne lands, and, in order that the College
might not lack scholars, caused thirty-five of the Winchester boys to be
transferred to Eton. The buildings have a venerable appearance, and,
from a distance, form a conspicuous and striking group, the massive but

graceful chapel rising boldly above the rest, breaking the uniformity and
giving unity and dignity to the whole. We turn to the well-known elm walk
and pass through the central gateway into the chief quadrangle. It is the
school hour. All around seems solitary and silent. The sombre edifice
wears a grave academic look. On the north side is the LoTs'er School,
with the Old Dormitory above ; on the west is the Upper School ; on the
south the Chapel. In the centre is a bronze statue by Bird to the " never-
fading memory " of the Royal founder. In the general appearance of the
buildings the visitor is reminded of St. James's or Hampton Court Palaces.
The Chapel, 175 feet long, has some resemblance to that of King's College,
Cambridge, and is a very fine specimen of the late Perpendicular style-
The interior has been beautifully restored. The old screen, the ceiling, the
wainscoting, and the seats have all been remo\ed. The east window has
been filled with stained glass. There are handsome dark oak benches in the
body of the chapel, richly carved stalls occupy the sides, and the chancel

206

Eton.

L^K--

is laid with tesselated pavement. Passing through the gateway of the
lofty clock tower— a handsome specimen of the domestic architecture of
the fifteenth century, we enter the inner quadrangle, called the Green Yard.
It is surrounded by cloisters. The buildings around consist of a hall, a
library, and the lodgings of the provost and fellows. The Hall is a
curious apartment with a dais for the dignitaries, and jjrovided with three
fireplaces " discovered behind the panelling at its restoration ; that at the
end is unique, as being behind the dais, and is coeval with the foundation."
The stained window above represents scenes in the life of Henry the Sixth.
The panelling is richly decorated with the arms of benefactors and provosts.
The library contains many treasures of bibliography. The New Buildings,
as they are called, though now some thirty years old, are in the Tudor style,
and have a frontage of about 120 feet. A tall tower of pleasing design, with
well-grouped, carved chimney shafts stands at one angle. These buildings
are appropriated to the scholars. Until they were erected the boys slept
in a common dormitory. Part of the new building is occupied by the
Boys' Librar)-, a large and lofty room, handsomely fitted up with a neat
gallery carried round. It contains some 6,000 volumes, and a large collec-
tion of stuffed birds, presented by Dr. Thackeray. The scholars on the
foundation of Eton reside within the College walls ; the King's scholars
number perhaps seventy ; the oppidans, as they are called, are 800 or goo.
The school expenses of the former are almost nominal ; those of an oppidan
amount to perhaps ;z^i5o a-year.

For the modern history of I'^ton we must visit it ; for what it was we
must trust to the fading recollections of those who have been there, and
curious stories they will tell us. Modern luxuries were unknown. At half-
past eight, summer and winter, the senior boys and their younger com-
panions were locked up together in their dormitory for eleven mortal hours.
Fagging then was fagging indeed. The hardshij>s of that Long Chamber
were so great that parents were afraid to enter their sons for election. Still,
says one who writes from his own ex])erience, there was fun of a kind known
even to the junior King's boys. They shared the excitement of foraging
excursions to supplement the meagre fare of over-roasted mutton, which
was their unalterable daily principal meal. " They took an active part in
the niglitly rat-hunts up and down the oaken floor. They themselves were
promoted to be ' faggers ' in time, and tasted of those sweets of office
which their youthful hearts had so long and earnestly yearned for. .-^nd
when as seniors, they found their names placed on the roll for election to
Kings College, Cambridge, it was with a kindly feeling of reverence, not
unmixed with affection, for the place, that they took their leave of the
cheerless and uncomfortable Long Chamber. Its jileasures and pastimes
alone wore remembered ; its miseries were forgotten. Wui Long Chaml)cr,
with all its traditions, is now a thing of the past. And the King's Scholars
are now cared for. and properly supervised, by a master specially appointed
to look after their domestic welfare.''

207

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VIRGINIA WATER.

TuK great Park of Windsor is separated from the Castle by the high
road, and by part of the town. For three miles it is crossed by the great
avenue known as the Long Walk, at the extremity of which is Snow Hill ;
where, on a block of granite, stands a colossal eciuestrian lead statue, twenty-six
feet high, of George III., dressed in a Roman toga, by Westmacott. About
half a mile from the end of the Long Walk is Cumberland Lodge, at one
tune the residence of the Uuke who conquered at CuUoden. Time was
when Windsor Great Park formed part of a vast unenclosed forest, extending
over more than 24,000 acres. Until, in fact, a comparatively modern
period, the proud Keep of Windsor stood in solitary magnificence. " There

was then," as an admirable writer remarks, " little distinction of park or
forest. The great oaks grew up to tlie Castle walls, and stretched away
till they reached the sandy deserts of Surrey, and the chalk hills beyond
the Kennet, almost to Reading." But among the vast expanse of heath
and woodland some fertile spots had been enclosed, solitary farms had
grown to villages, and villages into towns. During the lapse of four or five
centuries, individual and manorial rights came to share with the Crown the
ownership of some parts of the Royal forest. The Great Park was gradually
separated from Windsor Forest, though in some parts by only imaginary
lines ; and when the Duke of Cumberland received the office of Ranger to
these estates, he planted the barren hills and turned the swampy flats into
a vast artificial lake — the largest piece of artificial water in the kingdom, if
that can be so designated where man has only collected the streams of the
district into a natural basin which he deepened and extended. The out-
flow escapes in an artificial cascade by the side of the Bagshot Road, and

208

Virginia Water.

passes on to the Thames near Chertsey. " Great princes," it has been said,
"have great playthings." The Duke of Cumberland wanted occupation in
his solitude, and he both planted and built. " He had the merit of seeing
the genius of Paul Sandby, whom he patronised as a draughtsman when he
was a mere boy. Sandby was the landscape gardener of Virginia Water.
He had large materials to deal with and he used them with a bold and
masterly hand. The name of the place was an ambitious one. The little
lake and the gentle fir-clad banks have no real associations with the bound-
less forests where the first adventurers of the Anglo-Saxon stock carried the
power of civilization. We receive the name simply as expressive of silence
and solitude amidst woods and waters ; " and we surrender ourselves to the
genial influences of nature.

Near the lake is an obelisk standing on a small mound, and bearing the
following inscription : " This obelisk was raised by command of George II.
after the battle of Culloden, in commemoration of the services of his son
William, Duke of Cumberland, the success of his arms, and the gratitude of
his father." A miniature frigate floats upon the lake. The banks are
adorned on one side by a Chinese fishing temple, from the gallery in front
of which George IV. used almost daily to amuse himself with angling : and
on the other side are fragments of a picturesque colonnade of porphyry,
granite, and marble, brought from the African Coast. The arrangement
has been criticised. " Last of all," says a writer, " the ruins — Grecian
capitals on Egyi)tian shafts ! The spoils of the Nile and the Ilyssus huddled
together in a forced companionship ! Real ruins removed from the sites to
which they belong are the worst species of exotics. The tale which they
tell of their ancient grandeur is (juite out of harmony with their modern
appropriation. We can look with an antiquarian pleasure upon a capital
in a museum ; but a shaft or two perched up in a modern pleasure ground
produce a struggle between the feeling of the true and the artificial, and a
sort of scorn of the petty vanity of the living which snatches the ruins of the
dead from the hallowed spot where time or the barbarian had crumbled
them into nothingness, to administer to a sense of what is pretty and merely
l)icturesque. A real ruin is a solemn thing, when it stands upon the site
where it has defied the elements for centuries in its pomp and glory ; but
a mock ruin — a fiction of lath and plaster, or a collection of fragments
brought over sea, — are baubles." But whether we agree with the criticism
or not we may give ourselves uj) to the full enjoyment of the scene, and
following the serpentine ]iaths through the wooded dells, gaze upon the
pleasing scenery that stretches around. It is also worth while to take the
advice of our friend Bradshaw and cross the little bridge, and passing one
of the streams that feed the lake to pursue its windings among the under-
wood, or strike into the i)ath which leads to Bishopsgate, a beautiful village
surrounded by all the charms of wood and water. Here for some time
Shelley resided, and wrote his impressions of the allurements of the spot m

one of his finest poems.

209

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ASCOT.

Ascot is an interesting spot for a day's outing. Many places of interest
are passed in our railway journey thither. Near the station the tower of
Sunningdale Church becomes visible. It was originally a Saxon edifice.
The yew tree on the north side was planted before the Conquest.

Ascot race-course occupies an elevated situation in what was formerly
Windsor Forest. When the remainder of it was enclosed, it was ordered by
the Act of Parliament that the course and the avenues thereto should be
"kept and continued as a race-course for the i)ublic use at all times.''
The races, which take place early in June, were founded by the Duke of
Cumberland, uncle of George III., the breeder of the famous horse

THE RACE COURSE AND GRAND STAND, ASCOT.

" Eclipse." The course is circular and nearly two miles long. The first
half is on the descent, the last uphill. Ascot and the neighbourhood form
one of the healthiest localities of England, and are especially recommended
to those who have weak lungs. The pine plantations that stud the country
for miles give forth a fragrance which is as grateful to the chest as to the
smell. Though Ascot has ordinarily a quiet look, it is wide awake for one
week in June. One curious thing may then be noticed at the telegraph
offices, and any student of nature desirous of knowing what varieties of
form and colour the human hand can assume, should station himself inside
the telegraph office w^hen a great race has been run. Ever}' windoA^ is
then completely blocked with hands thrusting in messages ; from within
nothing can be seen but hands and messages ; outside, the eflfcrts of the
owners of the hands to gain possession of them are worthy of a better
cause. The Royal Ascot Hotel is hard by.

2IO

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PORTSMOUTH AND SOUTHSEA.

The appearance of Portsmouth is very striking. As we approach from
the roadstead of Spithead, where the "Royal George" went down, where
I, coo ships can ride, and where perhaps some leviathans of the deep belong-
ing to the navy are lying sullenly at anchor, we see before us the waters
becoming more and more alive with craft ; yachts, fishing vessels, steamers,
great and small, are perhaps on their way to some neighbouring i)ort or some
haven far away; or "homeward bound" ships, laden with the treasures of
distant climes, loom on the horizon ; frowning batteries are directly in front,
and also the mouth of the harbour of Portsmouth, which, narrow at the
entrance, soon expands to a vast area, where are the tapering masts of
many ships in the great inland lake behind, and far away the outlines of the

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SOUT

chalky Portsdown Hills. And now we have entered " the largest harbour
and the most perfect fortress in Britain." On our right lie the towns of Ports-
mouth and Portsea and the Dockyard; on our left is Gosport, with the
Royal Clarence Victualling Yard, Haslar Hosjjital, and other establish-
ments ; while in the harbour itself are the huge clumsy hulks known by the
name of " ships in ordinary," ready, if wanted, to be masted, armed, and
commissioned, but meanwhile being taken care of "in ordinary."

The Dockyard ought to be seen by every one. It has a water front of
nearly a mile in length, and it extends over not much less than 200 acres.
The Gun Wharf is another of the sights of Portsmouth. The Floating
Bridge will, if desired, carry us across to Gosport, where fresh wonders
may be explored.

Southsea is a large and increasing watering-jjlace suburban to Port.s.
mouth. Southsea Common is an open space, extending to the beach.
Here reviews take place.

-*^

THE ISLE OF WIGHT.

A RUN of twenty or thirty minutes carries the passenger from Southsea or
Stokes Bay across Spithead to Ryde in the Isle of Wight. As we approach
the pier we see, on our right, the Motherbank, where ships of war are usually
riding at anchor ; Ryde spreads itself out before us on a hill backed by fields
and masses of foliage ; while to our left stretches the outline of the coast.
The pier is nearly half a mile in length. Here we might take the train and
pursue our way by Brading, Sandown, and Shanklin to Ventnor, or direct to
Newport and Cowes ; but we propose, in a more leisurely fashion, to look
at the beauties of the island. Bending eastward, in a mile and a half we
reach Binstead, where William the Conqueror gave half a hide of land to
the Bishop of Winchester for a quarry of stone for the repair of the Cathedral.
Four miles from Ryde we arrive at Brading ; and, if the tide is up, we
survey a beautiful lake of 800 acres, sheltered by hills covered with trees,
while the surface of the water is brightened by the white sails of swift yachts,
and hundreds of silver-winged seagulls. Brading is an ancient town. From
the old churchyard there is an excellent view of the haven, but it is more
generally visited for the sake of some who were buried here. One tomb-
stone is to the memory of Mrs. Berry, whose epitaph begins with the lines,
" Forgive, blest shade, the tributary tear," and they have been set to music
by Dr. Calcott, and are known wherever English music is cultivated.
Another tells us that "Jane, the Young Cottager, lies buried here." She
was the heroine of a little tale by the Rev. Legh Richmond, which has
been sold by the million. " The Dairyman's Daughter " also lived in this
. neighbeurhood. Bembridge Down, which forms the summit of the Culver
Cliffs, is one of the hills on which Brading is built, is 400 feet above the
sea, and affords views unsurpassed in the island.

Sandown is a wide, deep bay. Here a few fishermen's huts, and two or
three shrimpers plying their craft, were all that was to be seen ; but now, as
Fuller puts it, "the plague of building has lighted upon it," as well as
upon other parts of the island. In a small cottage here John Wilkes had
his "villakin." The road now winds round the bay for some three miles,
and we then reach Shanklin, nine miles from Ryde. The Chine commences
about half a mile from the shore, and gradually increases in width and
depth, until at the mouth its wall-Hke cliffs arise to a height of nearly 300
feet. The red and yellow rock, or rather ferruginous sand, is covered with
shrubs, ivy, briers and underwood. From the village the stream meanders
pleasantly along past the cottages, hurries faster down the Chine, and then
leaps, with a fall of twenty feet, on to the ledges beneath.

We have now reached what is called the Back of the Island. Here the
famous Undercliff begins, and stretches as far as Black Gang Chine, nearly
seven miles distant. The Undercliff is a sort of series of terraces of land
from a quarter to half a mile in width, that have broken away from the
lofty cliffs, and lie beneath, forming chasms and dells, slopes and precipices,
covered with fields and trees, shrubs and ferns, wild flowers and lichens.

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Isle of Wight.

Ventnor is the little capital of the Undercliff. Continuing our journey
west, we pass the church of St. Lawrence, the smallest, except perhaps
Buttermere, in England ; Niton, with the delightful Sandrock Hotel ; then,
if we have time, we go on to St. Catherine's Down, whence we can see over
a large part of Hampshire, eastward as far as Beachy Head, and over the
Channel to Cherbourg, while the Isle of Wight itself lies like a map at our
feet. Returning to the coast we visit Black Gang Chine, in some respects like
Shanklin, but more gloomy, and in rough weather far more grand, for then
the waves are larger than on any other part of the English coast. The
depth of the water, the rapidity of the tide, the projection of the land, and
the exposure of the Chine cause the sea to approach unbroken to the very

margin on which the waves are hurled, and then to rebound into the air to
the height of forty or fifty feet. Leaving the Chine, we see the beautiful coast
bear away westward to Freshwater Bay, at the extremity of which are the
Needles, which rise boldly from the water ; then the wonderfully coloured
cliffs of Alum Bay, and the lofty and towering chalk precipices of Scratchell's
Bay — insulated rocks 400 or 500 feet high. ]5earing eastward we see Yar-
mouth, with Hurst Castle and Lymington on the other side the Solent, and
at length turning inland we reach Newport, in the centre of the island.

Carisbrooke Castle is about a mile from Newport. It is renowned for
the beauty of its site, crowning a hill 240 feet above the sea ; for its pictu-
resque aspect, with its lofty keep, its strong ivy-grown gateways, its walls
and moat enclosing an area of twenty acres ; for its historical associations,
for here Charles I. was a ])risoner ; for its castle well 300 feet deep, and for
the lovely country all around.

Newport is five miles from ('owes, whence we take the steamer, and in
less than an hour are at Soulhamijton.

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BOURNEMOUTH.

Fifty years ago, between the towns of Christchurch and Poole in
Hampshire, a little stream might have been found flowing down a lonely
valley into the sea ; while the barren heath that stretched east and west
was known only to an occasional traveller who chanced to pass that way,
and to a few determined smugglers who lived there, the story of whose
deeds has even yet scarcely died away. Now all is changed. Instead of
two or three mud hovels there are countless stately villas, and many
handsome streets. Instead of a wild waste there are woods, commons,
hills, and valleys, "jewelled with purple heather and golden gorse, and the
shaded windings of the evergreen hedgerows," and plantations which have
given to Bournemouth the name of " The Evergreen Valley of the South."
In our ordinary watering-places the accommodation provided for visitors is
specially suitable for summer time, when every one lives almost out of doors :
the striking characteristic of Bournemouth is its ample provision as a winter
home. On either side of spacious roads that wind through the pine-woods
are broad footpaths, behind which, surrounded by closely-shaven lawns
and deep thickets of arbutus, flowering bay, and laurel, are stately houses
of modern erection, built with every regard for the comfort of the inmates.

Rising above the sea and shore, and broken here and there by ravines, or
" chines," as they are called, are lofty and precipitous cliffs that stretch for
many a mile along the coast from Poole Harbour to Christchurch Head.
The sands at their feet are bright, hard, and smooth. Even the v>'ater has
characteristics of its own — " clear and pale-green close in shore, where the
white sand of the beach shows through, deep-blue further out, and grey
where the wind " breaks heaviest over its surface.

Standing on the cliffs and looking to the south-east we see the chalk cliffs
of the Isle of Wight and the Needles ; while westward are the wood and
turrets of Branksome Tower, Branksea Castle and Island in Poole Harbour;
and in the distajice to the south-west the hills of the Isle of Purbeck,
crowned by the magnificent ruins of Corfe Castle.

It was not till about the year 1854 that the peculiar salubrity of the
climate of Bournemouth attracted attention. Situated on a great bay that
looks over the sea to the south, with an unusually mild and rainless climate,
with a porous soil of sand and gravel which does not retain moisture or
return it to the atmosphere, it also enjoys the additional advantage of having
no estuary nearer than four or five miles, and it is, in consequence, entirely
free from the drawbacks arising from low lands, tidal muds or retentive sods.

The finest public building in Bournemouth is St. Peter's Church. In the
south transept is a handsome window in memory of Keble, author of "The
Christian Year," who died at Bournemouth. The tower and spire are
192 feet high. There nre numerous benevolent institutions in Bournemouth,
especially for invalids, among which are the Sanatorium, the Firs Home,
and the Herbert Home. The Town Hall stands in the main road, and
opposite to it is the Arcade. The Club, situated close to the pier, is
conducted on the principle of the London clubs. The Winter Gardens are
covered in with glass, and are beautified by costly plants and palms.

214

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SOUTHAMPTON.

As long ago as when Winchester was the residence of the sovereigns of
England, and virtually its capital, Southampton — then called Hamptune —
was a prosperous seaport. Southampton Water, some three miles wide, and
in the centre about forty feet in depth, sheltered with wooded hills, and with
the great natural breakwater of the Isle of Wight, offered a safe and inviting
anchorage for any number of vessels of any burthen. In the reign of
Henry II. it was made by royal charter an incorporated town ; and, long
before, it had been walled, and defended by moats filled from the sea. In
the middle ages it was the most convenient place of embarkation for sove-
reigns and troops on their way to France, and its shores witnessed the
departure of the men who won the fields of Cressy, Poictiers, and Agincourt.
The Protestants driven from the Netherlands, in the middle of the seven-
teenth century, settled in Southampton, brought with them the manufacture
of several kinds of cloth not before known in England, and contributed
largely to the prosperity of the town. The first cause of its decay was the
great plague of 1665.

The modern prosperity of Southampton dates from the beginning of the
reign of George III. The town and suburbs alike increased during the
wars with France that followed the Revolution. Bodies of troops were en.
camped on Shirley and Netley Commons, and were embarked from hence
for foreign service. The progress of the town, however, was slow, until in
1S34 the London and South Western Railway was commenced; and,
subsequently, the docks were constructed on what was termed the Mudland
— a large space between the town and the river Itchin. The first dock —
the tidal dock — was opened in 1842, the area of the basin being sixteen
acres, with quays paved with granite, and provided with commanding
ranges of warehouses. Other docks have since been added ; Southampton
has been made the starting port for the splendid fleet of the Union Steam-
ship Company, the ships of which have made such remarkable passages to
the Cape ; the Royal Mail, the Peninsular and Oriental and other navigation
companies. The railway is in immediate connection with the docks, and
runs its rails to the doors of the warehouses and along the margins of the
quays, so that cargoes may be lifted from the holds of the vessels into the
trucks, and despatched to any part of the kingdom without delay. The
scene presented, when two or three mail steamers happen to arrive on tlie
same day, is busy and varied. NotabiHties of all sorts — " foreign monarchs,
royal Bengal tigers, Indian, African and Egyptian princes, great monkeys,
distinguished ambassadors, hippopotami, alligators, generals, admirals,
illustrious exiles, Californian bears, colonial governors, etc.," are constantly
coming upon shore, and many of them afford infinite amusement and occu-
pation to the loungers and gossip retailers of the town. There is an excel-
lent pier which serves as a promenade, and for the embarkation of passengers
for the coasting steamers.

Three of the ancient bars of the town remain. The Bar-gate that now
crosses the centre of the busy High Street was at one time the north gate,

216

SOUTHAMPTON.

Southampton.

and was approached from without by a drawbridge over the moat that
encircled the walls on the land side. It is of two periods : the semi-
circular archway is the original gate, and probably of the same date as the
walls ; the pointed arch northward belongs to the fourteenth century. On
either side are figures of Sir Bevis, " whose memory is still fragrant in his
old town," and of the giant Ascapart, who was overthown in fight by Sir
Bevis, and became his " knave." Near the south gate, not far from the
pier, is a picturesque tower, formerly called a " castelet," and the remains
of the castle survive. It is named the " Arundel Tower," after a
governor who here, in 1377, repulsed a French attack. Portions of the
town walls, and of some early houses attached thereto, also exist. The chief
of these may be found by the tourist west of the main quay. Here the long
line of massive grey wall stretches along ; at one point there was a postern.
The wall here consists of " a series of arches, carrying the parapet wall and
*alura' or passage along it. Some of these arches are round, others pointed.
The piers are connected with the wall of the house close by, some of
the windows of which are pierced in the intervening arches." The spaces
at the top of the arches are open, and form a succession of machicolations,
possibly for letting down beams so as to resist the action of catapults.
There is a passage within the thickness of the wall. The Domus Dei, or
house of God, or hospital, is in Winkle Street, near the Quay.

Netley Abbey, on the east bank of the Southampton Water, is three
miles from Southampton, though the pedestrian may find a shorter way. It
is supposed to have been founded in the twelfth century, by the Cistercian
order of monks, who loved to build their homes among the woods. The
community consisted of an abbot and twelve brethren. Many of the trees
have been felled, but the scene is still one of great interest and beauty, and
justifies the praises of Horace Walpole. "The ruin," he says, "is vast,
and contains fragments of beautiful fretted roofs, pendant in the air, with
all variety of Gothic patterns of windows, topped round and round with i\'y.
Many trees have sprouted up among the walls, and only want to be increased
by cypresses. A hill rises above the abbey enriched with wood. The fort,
in which we would build a tower for habitation, remains, with two small
platforms. This little castle is buried from the abbey in a wood, in the very
centre, on the edge of a hill. On each side breaks in a view of the South-
ampton sea, deep blue, glistening with silver and vessels ; on one side
terminated by Southampton, on the other by Calshot Castle ; and the Isle
of Wight rises above the opposite hills. In short, they are not the ruins of
Netley, but of Paradise. Oh, the purpled abbots ! What a spot they had
chosen to slumber in ! The scene is so beautifully tranquil, yet so lively,
that they seem only to have retired into the world." Until the archaeologist
has carefully examined the ruins, he should reject the advice of Thomas
Ingoldsby —

" And say to the person who drove his shay
(A highly respectable man, by the way),
'I don't hke this at all, so take me away.' "
218

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THE CHANNEL LSLANDS.

GUERNSEY.

At a quarter before midnight every week-night, except Saturday, the Royal
Mail steamer leaves Southampton for the Channel Islands, and in fine
weather the boat reaches Guernsey next morning at eight, and Jersey at ten
Passing down the Solent between the rich meadow lands of Hampshire,
and the beautiful shores of the Isle of Wight — by day or by moonlight —
with Hurst Castle, Bournemouth, and Swanage Bay successively, on our right,
and Yarmouth and then the Needles on our left, we are now fairly out in the
Channel, thg coast of Dorset and the Island fading away in the distance.

Guernsey is 123 miles from Southampton. Before we approach the island,
we pass Alderney to the east, and on the west the Casquet Rocks, which rise
abruptly out of deep water and seem to lie directly in our track. At night,
however, the voyager is warned by three revolving liglits placed on towers
112 feet above the sea, that are visible for twenty miles. The Casquets are a
numerous group, and extend half a mile across and a mile and a half in
length from east to west. The Island of Guernsey is a triangular granite
rock, some nine miles long by six, but the sinuosities of the coast reach for
nearly forty miles. The land slopes gradually downwards from the bold cliffs
at the south, that rise perpendicularly and continuously from the sea to a
height of nearly 300 feet, till it spreads out in the low, flat and fertile plains
to the north of the island. Half a dozen brooks descend into the bays.
St. Peter's Port is in the centre of a long irregular bay on the east coast,
and it presents a straggling frontage towards the sea of nearly a mile and a
half. St. Helier's, in Jersey, has a rock and a castle thereon in the middle
of the harbour, and similarly St. Peter's Port has its rocky island on wliich
Castle Cornet — picturesque in appearance if not formidable for defence —
has been built. Many historical associations connected with " the Great
Rebellion " cluster around its walls. The town of St. Peter's has a more
striking appearance. The narrow, steep, and crooked streets climb the
heights, and are flanked by substantial if venerable mansions ; the houses
overtop each other ; the environs abound with pretty villas, and when seen
from the water at night the numerous lights from window and street have
the effect of a brilliant illumination. The New Town stands on so elevated
a position that it is ascended from the market-place by no fewer than 145
steps. At the summit of these is Mount Gibel, and a quarter of a mile
from hence is the "New Ground" — a military parade of some eight acres
in extent.

The most pleasing natural scenery in the island is in the southern and
south-western districts, where beautiful spots may be found. There the
bold, rocky and precipitous heights of Pleinmont abound with jagged
promontories somewhat diflicult of access, but they reward the climber by
the glorious views beyond and the seething cauldrons beneath. There is a
good house of entertainment near Pleinmont. Fermain P>ay, Petit Bo,
and Moulin Huet also, are worthy of a visit. The best way of seeing the
whole island is to walk right round the headlands.

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JERSEY. 1^

Thirty miles from Guernsey, and 150 from Southampton, we are at St.
Helier's the principal town in Jersey. Unlike Guernsey, Jersey slopes from
north to south ; and the whole of the north, east, and west coast has rugged
and precipitous rocks, while the southern shore, though fringed with crags
and undulating cliffs, spreads out in fine sandy beaches.

The steamers enter the harbour of St. Helier's on the eastern side of the
Bay of St. Aubin's before disembarking their passengers; and if the tide is
" up," the first impressions created by the island with its beautiful bay, its
sloping shores, its thickly wooded heights, and its cottages and villas, are
pleasing; while the extensive defences of Fort Regent, which tower above
and overtop the houses, remind us of the military importance of the position.
They cost no less than _;;^8oo,ooo.

One of the spots which the visitor to Jersey should not fail to see is
Mount Orgueil. It is not quite five miles from St. Heher's, and it stands
on the summit of a headland of granite rock that runs out into the sea.
The origin and the architect are unknown, but there the fortress remains to-
day — as it has done since, at least, before the time of King John — a massive
and imposing ruin commanding views of the open bay, the harbour of
Gorey with its oyster boats, the wooded interior of the island, and on the
distant horizon the white shores of Normandy, and the cathedral spire of
Coutances. At ^^lount Orgueil, Charles 11. and also Prynne were confined.
The latter refers to the Casde thus : —

" Mount Orgueil is a lofty pile,
Within the ea.stern port of Jersey Isle,
Near to a sandy bay where boats do ride,
Within a peere, safe from both wind and tide."

The Corbiere Rocks form one of the headlands on the south coast. Here
the sea-ravens (Corbieres) build their nests. The pink and grey granites of
the cliff are crossed with veins of dark green which have a striking effect.

The Grfeve de Lecq is a beautiful sand bay, seven and a half miles north-
west of St. Helier's. To the west towards Pleinmont, and also to the east,
are a series of fine cliff scenery. From the cliff" above, a beautiful view is
obtained of the Paternosters or Pierres de Lecq, and " a rough path de-
scends a gully in which is a pretty waterfall, and a small cavern overhung
with ferns." To the west are other gullies and "a remarkably deep narrow
fiord with lofty vertical walls of granite."' A stream falls precipitously from
the head of the fiord for 100 feet on to a shingle beach.

Twenty miles from Guernsey and forty from Jersey is the little island of
Alderney, famous for its cows. It is only four miles long by a mile and a
half broad. The cliffs on the south-east coast are 150 or 200 feet high.
The harbour of refuge has cost more than ;^i, 000,000 of money.

Sark, or Serk, is six miles east of Guernsey, and is about three miles long.
The cliffs are 100 to 200 feet in height. The Couiiee Rock, the chief
wonder, is a neck of land about rive feet broad with a preci|)ice on either
side of about 200 feet deep. It is a dangerous path in windy weather. The
island is a kingdom, and is governed by a Parliament of its own, which
meets under the command of the Lord of Sark.

WINCHESTER.

Winchester occupies a pre-eminent position in our ancient annals.
I'he Britons toolc up their abode by the flowing streams and rich meadow
lands of the sheltered valley, and gave it the name of Gwent, the white.
The Belgaj came next, wrested the town from its possessors, and conquered
South Britain. The Romans made it their chief station in these parts and
gave Winchester its first historical importance. After the Norman Conquest
it became the capital, and the residence of the sovereign; walls and castles
were built for its defence, and the New Forest was afforested as a hunting-
ground. One royal hunting party ended tragically, for a charcoal burner's
cart carried along the streets of Winchester the dead body of a king.

In after years the Cathedral was almost entirely rebuilt by the famous
William of Wykeham, who held the see of Winchester from 1366 to 1404.
He converted the old Norman nave into Gothic, and made it one of the
finest in England. It is 250 feet long and 85 broad. Here are the
chantries of several of the bishops who contributed to the building or the
renovation of the cathedral, and conspicuous among them for the delicacy
of the tracery of the beautiful tomb is that of Wykeham himself. It is
considered to be scarcely equalled in the kingdom. The choir is entered
through a screen. " The great architectural feature of the choir is the
magnificent altar screen ; the most beautiful specimen of tabernacle work to
be found in a similar structure in England. It rises to a great height, and
contains within the most intricate lacework a vast number of richly canopied
niches." The entire length of the cathedral is 545 feet ; the choir is 40 feet
wide; the transepts are 186 feet long; and the tower is 13S fe^^t high. The
architectural student will find the Cathedral instructive, as representing ever)*
style from early Norman to the latest Gothic.

EXETER.

Exeter — the fair Queen of the West — is situated " on a hill among
hills ;" or, as Thomas Fuller quaintly puts it, is "sited on the top of a hill
which conduceth much to the cleanness of this city ; nature being the chief
scavenger thereto, so that the rain that falleth there, falleth thence by the
declivity of the place." "The city," he adds — and he wrote in the seven-
teenth century — " is greater in contents than appearance, being bigger than
it presenteth itself to passengers through the same."

The city abounds in interesting historic associations. Here, on the green
slope of a hill, washed by a clear broad river, the Celts built " a town on the

waters." Here the Roman eagle came, ousted the British bird from its strong
nest, and became great and powerful. Here the Saxon took up his abode,
and called his fair town Exanceastre — " the camp by the river." Here the
proud, prosperous, and valiant city long kept the Conqueror at bay, and
might, perhaps, have prevented England ever becoming Norman, were it
not that, as the Saxon Chronicle pathetically records : '- the citizens sur-
rendered the town because their chiefs betrayed them." Here the Norman
now piled his castle, and called it Rouge-Mont, perhaps from the colour of
the soil. Here William of Orange came, on the 9th of November, 1688, but
met with at first a cold reception.

The chief glory of Exeter is its cathedral. Slightly inferior in size and
grandeur to some of our English minsters, it is considered to be one of the
finest of the second class, and, " in some respects unicjue." The total length
of the cathedral is nearly 400 feet. The nave is i So feet long, forty wide,
and sixty-eight high ; the transept and ])art of choir are 140 feet long; and
the towers are twenty-eight feet square, and 145 feet high. The chief

223

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Exeter.

entrance to a Gothic cathedral is usually by the western door, and here the
architect has lavished the wealth of his art. It consists of three stories — if
so they may be called — the lowest a screen {with three doorways), sculptured
over with canopied niches containing statues of patriarchs, apostles, kings,
crusaders, prelates, and worthies, and also emblematical figures. The second
story contains the noble west window of the nave, about forty feet by
twenty-seven, filled with nine lights, trefoiled, supporting a magnificent rose
filled with geometrical tracery —

" Flamboyant with a thousand gorgeous colours,
The perfect flower of Gothic loveliness."

The nave is spacious, impressive, and beautiful. Its long row of
clustered marble columns, with the arches above ; the lofty vaulted stone
roof which spans the whole extent of nave and choir, and the noble series
of windows in the clerestories command the admiration of the beholder.

" The rich-fretted roof.
And the wrought coronals of summer leaves,
Ivy and vine, and many a sculptured rose,
The tenderest image of mortality.
Binding the slender columns, whose light shafts
Cluster like stems in corn sheaves."

Entering the choir, the visitor will notice the rich colouring of the east
window, the splendid episcopal throne " that towers in airy state to the
vaulting;" and, as he advances to the sanctuary, "he will acknowledge that
the three stalls on the right are unrivalled in beauty and delicacy of sculp-
ture." The throne is of oak, fifty-two feet high. The stone altar-screen is a
modern work. It has seven divisions, the central being enriched by a canopy
entwined with ivy, combining the rose, the thistle, and the shamrock. The
transepts are short and unimpressive, being formed out of the towers. The
chapter house is a handsome structure, said to have been built by Bishop
Lacey. It is oblong : the windows are good ; the roof is oak in richly
ornamented panels. The chapels are numerous, and some beautiful.
Several contain monuments of more than ordinary interest. The north
tower has an ancient and curious clock. It shows both the hours of the
day and the age of the moon. It is supposed to date from the reign of
Edward IIL The great Peter Bell weighs 12,500 pounds. In the south
tower are eleven bells, ten of which are rung in peal ; they form the largest
and heaviest set in the kingdom. The visitor should, if possible, ascend the
north tower, whence he will see the city and the country round to great
advantage. The view southward, down the valley of the Exe, is especially
beautiful. The Castle of Rougemont, and the winding paths of Northern-
hay should also be visited. " The latter are the admiration of every
stranger, and the pride, the ornament, and the boast of Exeter."

Exeter had formerly a great trade in the manufacture of woollens. The
exports, 100 years ago, were worth above ;^i, 000,000 annually. Honiton
pillow lace is largely made in the city and neighbourhood.

224

ILFRACOMBE.

Ilfracombe is a fashionable watering-place on the north coast of Devon,
at the mouth of the Bristol Channel. It is reached by the London and
South Western Railway from Exeter, from which it is fifty-five miles dis-
tant. A steamer also comes two or three times a week across the Bristol
Channel from Swansea.

The name of Ilfracombe is derived from the Walley or Combe — Ilford"s
Combe — in which it is situated. The town stands on the slope of a hill
a mile long, that reaches from the church to the harbour, and the har-
bour is formed of a natural basin closed in on the outer side by a ridge of
precipitous rocks that stretch from the base of Lantern Hill — on which is

ILlKACOMliE

a lighthouse — and it is sheltered on the other side by the lofty camp-crested
height of Hilsborough, which rises 500 feet above the sea. The entrance
to the harbour is between these two hills. Several other craggy tors bound
the harbour to the west, the most frequented of which is Capstone Hill — a
hill of shale which breasts the billows of the Bristol Channel. Walks have
been cut upon it. Fine breezy views from hence may be enjoyed over sea
and land. " From its landward side, a pier, S50 feet in length, stretches
partly across an inlet of the sea, and so encloses a basin sheltered from
tempestuous winds, and of sufficient depth of water to admit vessels of
considerable burthen."

The town consists chiefly of one long street, but the best houses are
erected on terraces on the slopes of the Runnacleavcs. The i)arish church
was built in the twelfth century. It has nave, chancel, and aisles. The
baths are situated not far from the church — cleanliness being next to
godliness. The New Market, Town Hall, and Assembly Room occupy
an eligible site leading from High Street. The Public Rooms, consisting
of ball, billiard, and reading rooms, are in Coronation Terrace.

225

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LYNTON AND LYNMOUTH.

A COAST ride of twenty miles, or, for the stout-limbed pedestrian, a
delightful walk of seventeen miles, or a coasting trip by boat, will take the
tourist from Ilfracombe to Lynton. Smallmouth and Watermouth are soon
reached. The former has two caverns, one of which gives a peep of the
pretty bay of Combe Martin as a " sun-gilt vignette, framed in jet." Thf
other is entered by a narrow chink, which, expanding, leads into a pit open
to the sky, which is seen through a network of branches. The situation of
Watermouth is delightful, and the grouping of the knolls and ridges is
singularly beautiful. Above are the rich woods, the verdant pastures, and

LYXTON.

the bleak coast of Exmoor ; below a sweet romantic cove invites the sea to
enter. " Rocks of gray slate encircle it, and reefs ot grauwacke fling their
long arms out into the channel. Down through a valley, which opens upon
the shore, tumbles a crystal stream, after brightening the pleasant groves
and blossomy lawns of Watermouth Castle." All the coast along there is a
wondrous wealth of beauty : the rough furze-clad headlands alternate with
masses of low dark rock, with beaches of fine sand and with deep recesses
where the billows break, hung with maidenhair and the sweet black stalk
spleenwort. Here along the water's edge sea anemones of brilliant colours
— which, if cut across, feed at both ends at the same time — may be gathered,
and the marine naturalist may collect rare treasures as he wanders on — the
acorn shell with its " delicate grasping hand of feathery fingers," the madra-
pore, translucent, looking like the ghost of a zoophite — the delicate
Actinea ni'via, the Bellis Candida, and many others ; while near at hand are
hosts of plants, ferns, and grasses — " the vernal squill, the sweet-scented
ladies' tresses, and the golden blossoms of the yellow wort, opening only in
the sunlight," the samphire, the sea lavender, and the rare and beautiful wild

226

Lyiiton.

balm. The quaint village of Combe Martin is now reached, consisting of
one street a mile in length at the bottom of the deep shadowy Combe which
looks out into the quiet bay. At the southern end of the village stands
the church, a fine old Perpendicular building of red stone, dedicated to St.
Peter. The place takes its name from Martin of Tours, who received the
manor from William the Conqueror. The silver-lead mines here were long
famous — dating back at least to the times of the Plantagenets ; but, as
Camden says, " The first fynding and working of which there are no certain
records remayninge." A cup of Combe Martin silver, weighing 137 ounces

THE CASTLE ROCK, LV.MU.N.

was presented in Queen Elizabeth's time to the Lord Mayor ot London.
The hamlet of Trentishoe comes next, where the river Parracombe flows
into the sea, and where a romantic path leads through a deep wood to
Heddon's Mouth — a glen of the Parracombe. From Heddon's Mouth a
walk has recently been cut for several miles along the face of the rocks to
Ley Abbey, on the way to Lynton. A small hostelry, the Hunters' Inn,
may be found hard by — a good resting-house and centre for explorations.
Martinhoe now appears, seated on the uplands that rise abruptly and high
from the rocky coast ; and that coast, we are assuretl, is haunted by the
ghost of one Sir Robert Chichester, formerly of Martinhoe, who. for his
iniquities, is condemned to weave ropes of sand and then to histen them
to his carriage and drive up the face of the cliff, whence, at full moon, he
passes through a narrow fissure known as "Sii Robert's Road.''

Lynton and Lynmouth, though w''Iiin haif .i niilo of each other, occupy
entirely different situations. " Around are subaliMiie valleys, wild gloomy
ridges, and j^recipices and crags ;" while near at hand are tors and torrents
hills and dales, moorland and woodland and sea. Two beautiful rivers

227

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Lynmouth.

flowing down from the Exmoor Hills, here join together close upon the
shore, the East Lyn roaring down a magnificent ravine, the West Lyn
flowmg through a lovely wooded vale. Lynmouth is seated at the mouth
of the immense gorge of the two valleys of those streams; a steep winding
road leads from hence up to Lynton, which lies in a valley midway up the
hills, some 430 feet above the level of the sea.

"My walk," wrote Southey in 1799, "led me through Lynmouth, the
finest spot except Cintra and the Arrabida that I ever saw. Two rivers
join at Lynmouth. You probably know the hill streams of Devonshire ;
each of these flows down a combe, rolling down over huge stones like a

LYMMOUTH.

long waterfall ; immediately at their junction they enter the sea, and the
rivers and the sea make but one sound and uproar. Of these combes the
one is richly wooded, the other runs between two high bare stony hills.
From the hill between the two is a prospect most magnificent ; on either
hand combes and the river before the little village, which, T am assured by
one familiar with Switzerland, resembles a Swiss village. This alone would
constitute a view beautiful enough to repay the weariness of a long
journey; but, to complete it, there is the blue and boundless sea; and, if
the day is clear, the faint outline of the Welsh coast."

" Water's Meet," renowned for its beauty, is some two miles up the
gorge of the East Lyn, and is the junction of that river with the Brendon
stream. Here the sides of the deep ravine, sometimes 200 feet below us,
are covered with wood, and moss and fern -covered rocks lie under the
oaks — ruggedness and beauty mingling in rich and beautiful confusion^
Immense blocks of grauwacke have been split from their bed and tumbled
headlong, lodging at every conceivable angle in the gorge below. Centuries

228

JLynmoiith.

■^

by the score have thus been employed until the stream at ever}- yard of its
course is more or less dammed up; yet onward it pours, now swirling swiftly
round some black shining rock, often breaking into a score of cascades,
then widening out into dark, deep, and treacherous pools, and again hurry-
ing therefrom, escaping with laughter and song on its way out to the ocean.
These woods are sometimes visited by the red deer from the wilds and
wastes and lonely streams of Exmoor — the only part of England where the
deer are wild also.

The valley of Stones, as Southey calls it, but as it is usually designated,
the Valley of Rocks, we justly characterize as one of the greatest wonders

Cl^i^^^^feiii

of the West of England. Ascending from Lynmouth by a road some 300
feet in length, which winds along the edge of a precipice, we i:)ass through a
gap in the hillside between two masses of limestone, and suddenly find
ourselves in a ravine between two ridges of hills, " the southern hill turfed ;
the vale, which runs from east to west, covered with huge stones, and frag-
ments of stone among the ferns that fill it ; the northern ridge completely
bare, excavated of all turf and all soil, the very bone and skeleton of the
earth ; rock reclining on rock, stone piled upon stone, a huge terrific mass.
A palace of the Pre-.\damite kings, a city of the Anakim, must have appeared
so shapeless, and yet so like the ruins of what had been shaped after the
waters of the flood subsided. I ascended with some toil the highest point ;
two large stones inclining on each other formed a rude jjortal on the
summit. Here I sat down. A little level platform, about two yards long,
lay before me, and then the eye fell immediately upon the sea, far, ver)* far
below. I never felt the sublimity of solitude before." Thus wrote
Southey ; and as we look around to-day we are inclined to add : "If this

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Lynmouth.

was not the battlefield of the Titans, it must have been their children's play-
ground."

There are many stone circles in this valley wnich suggest a Druidic
origin. No spot could be more appropriate, from its position and asso-
ciations, for the celebration of the sombre and mystic ordinances of pagan
superstition. Here we may pause and fancy how, on May Eve, on the
very spot before us, our British fathers performed their Lenten rites, and
ushered in the carnival of the May sports of the morrow. Here through
the live-long night the worshippers swept in their choral dance from east to
west in honour of their deity, the sun ; high they bore their crowns and
garlands ; and ever and anon they sang their sacred hymns, now soft and
plaintive as a dirge, now loud as the shout of them that strive for mastery.

One of these rocks is called the Chimney Rock; and another is named
Rugged Jack. Threading the pass, the tourist finds himself upon the
greensward of the valley, and now the Castle Rock rises on his right like
some Norman ruin, an isolated and gigantic crag, named because of its
fancied resemblance to an old time-worn fortilage. Formerly it was in-
accessible except to the adventurous, now paths have been cut on the sides,
so that anyone may safely ascend and stand on the summit of the weather-
beaten rocks. Some of these have even been hewn into seats and tables.
One vast rock, several tons in weight, seems so nicely balanced that the
heave of a crow-bar would send it thundering down to the sea. From the
top of the rock glorious views may be enjoyed ; and here wondrous legends
that linger around the Castle Rock may also be told, of love, murder, and
ghosts. At the base of the cHff are the mouths of several caverns, which
are said to extend a long way underground.

As we contemplate all these lovely and varied scenes of North Devon —
the yellow sands that spread themselves out on the sunny shore, the arched
bridges where the salmon wait for autumn floods, the pleasant uplands,
the jutting fern-fringed crags, the rocks piled in wild confusion, against
which the waves break into sheets of foam, the hills golden with gorse and
purple with heather ; as we watch the changing tints of sea and sky, the
white sparkle of granite peaks, the deep wooded glens and the far-reaching
moors, and then listen to the deep roar of the ocean, we recal to mind the
words of Kingsley, who, speaking of a spot not far away says : " Pleasantly
the old town stands there, beneath its soft Italian sky, fanned day and
night by the fresh ocean breeze, which forbids alike the keen winter frosts,
and the fierce thunder heats of the midlands : and pleasantly it has stood
there for now, perhaps, eight hundred years, since the first Grenvil, cousin
of the Conqueror, returning from the conquest of South Wales, drew round
him trusty Saxon serfs, and free Norse rovers with their golden curls, and
dark Silurian Britons from the Swansea shore, and all the mingled blood
which still gives to the seaward folk of the west country' their strength and
intellect, and even in the^e levelUng days, their peculiar beauty of face and
form."

2\Q

PLYMOUTH.

As we stand to-day on the heights of the Hoe, a magnificent scene
is stretched out before us — the Sound, or outer anchorage, closed in on
either hand by Mounts Batten and Edgecombe, sheltered at the mouth by
the mighty breakwater, and lighted far away by the Eddystone; while
on the landside the river Plym on the east, and the Tamar on the west,
open into the Sound and furnish deep water for fleets, widespread shores
for docks and shipbuilding yards and arsenals, so that it seems as if nature,
art, and science, had done everything to make Plymouth a commercial and
military station of the highest importance.

Five towns or parts of to\vns — Plymouth, Devonport. Stonehnnse. Stoke

SUAl (.11 1;K11h.K, lUCKLEK.ll.

Damerel, and Alorice Town will have to be visited ; and we must notice each
of the inlets or bays with which they are separated or indented before we can
appreciate the maritime importance of the district. The citadel and fortifica-
tions must be explored. The Royal Victualling Yard with all its wonders
must be seen. The dockyard at Devonj)ort, with its ships and factories and
storehouses and smitheries and steam-ferries, will detain us for many an hour.
Then we must take a boat and sail past Drake Island down the Sound, and
stand on the gigantic breakwater and try to understand the labour and the
cost of piling that wall across the sea almost a mile in length, seventy-five
yards broad at the base, and eleven at the top, with its 2,500,000 tons of
stone, and its lighthouse at one end, and its fort at the other.

The visitor to Plymouth should, if possible, take an excursion to Bick-
Icigh, and see the beautiful vale. Shaugh Ikidge is near the junction of the
Mew and the Cad, the streams that form the Plym. .\bove the granite bridge
rises an almost perpendicular hill, the sides of which present "alterations
of overhanging rocks, clustering trees, and luxuriant climbing plants."

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f"e}^ — ■.- — . —

PENZANCE.

Penzance — the Holy Headland — is the most westerly town in England,
and has a population of about 10,000 souls. It stands on a declivity at the
edge of the beautiful Mount's Bay, and is closely encircled by hills to the
north and east. It is on several accounts a place of interest. One is the
kindly clime of the valleys, where the seasons are so mild and equable that
summer is not oppressive and "winter is deprived of its terrors." In mid-
winter nearly sixty different kinds of plants have been in full blossom in the
gardens and fields round Penzance. It is remarkable also for its fisheries,
and few spectacles are more pleasing than that frequently presented when
the fleet of perhaps 150 vessels is assembled in the beautiful bay, equipped

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PENZANCE.

for the pilchard fishing, or is leaving the coast in a line that extends sea-
ward as far as the eye can reach. The town is interesting for its celebrities :
for it is the birthplace of Lord Exmouth, of naval renown ; of Gilbert
Davies, of scientific eminence ; and of Sir Humphrey Davy, who bequeathed
;^ioo to the Grammar School on condition that the boys should annually
have a holiday on his birthday. The town is provided with a pier that rests
upon rocks of felspar porphyry; with an excellent esplanade, which has
delightful views over land and sea ; with baths ; with a corn market ; with
a fish market where women carry on the trade, bringing their fish for sale on
their backs in a co7oel kept in its position by a band passed round the fore-
head. The town has also a public building that will hold 1,000 people, in
which there is the Guildhall, and a Museum of the Natural History and Anti-
quarian Society of the town, and of the Geographical Society of the county.
Charming walks in the neighbourhood lead among the hills and dales, in-
cluding those to the Valley of Tolcarne, Lescaddock Castle, and the rock of
Gulval Carn. Every tourist to Penzance should also visit the Land's End.

232

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BRIGHTON.

Four miles of sea frontage from Kemptown to Hove ; four miles of sea
frontage, with houses that look as though the wealth of London had drifted
to the sea-shore and been stopped by the waves. Along this great sea-walk
are ranged all the homes of fashion and wealth. Here are hotels, club-
houses, villas, and mansions, at one part flung together in great masses, at
another standing out in their individuality. Here, for example, is the Grand
Hotel, which seems to hint that life is a perpetual summer, and its first floor
the proper place to test its value. A little farther on is a home fit for a
Sybarite : two charming floors, looking out on clean-shaven turf, with the
chef dc cuisine taking full note of the outside world. Farther on there are
grand squares and grand houses, warranted to be of the newest pattern, with
owners to match. All goes merrily on the King's Road. Gentlemen, what
is your taste ? you have only to say, for we can satisfy you. We have hotels
where anything meaner than a lord would fail to command proper attention.
We have others where the boy in buttons is the chief of the staff, and chats
familiarly with the latest visitor, laying special emphasis on the fact that he
"knows all the gents from town." We have others which the dear old
maiden aunt invariably patronizes when she takes that autumn outing,
" Just to furbish one up for the winter, you know, dear." The King's Road
will furnish examples of them all. The side streets resent this pretension ;
they assert that it is altogether a mistake to consider the King's Road the
best part : for their idea, a side street is distinctly preferable ; you are not
then worried by the sound of the waves. In high dudgeon they stroll
backward to the Downs, or manifest close appreciation of the race-course.
Modest houses with green Venetian blinds, and where the landlady lives in
the underground kitchens, distinctly as a matter of choice. Modest houses
where the old salt does a little bit of smuggling for goods that have paid
duty. There are ail kinds of fish that comes to its net, and Brighton can
take them all.

Five o'clock on an autumn afternoon as the sun sinks '"viftly to its rest.
The King's Road is full to overflowing ; the block at the far end, near Brill's
Baths, is equal to that in the Ladies' Mile at the height of the season. The
throng of carriages is only equalled by the throng of pedestrians ; for here
is all the world and its masters. The men and women who make society,
who give to it its charm and reality, may be counted by the dozen. Do
you see that tall, military, good-looking man, with keen eye and suave
manner ? He is making his name famous in Europe as the representative
of Russia — Count Schouvaloff. Close by, with cheery smile, is Benjamin
Webster : eighty years of vigorous life has yet left to him the charm of
companionship. Amid that throng may be seen the worn but handsome
face of John Bright. Potentates all. Diplomacy, the drama, and the people
furnish each their representative ; and whilst the tide of life sways back-
ward and forward, other and less-known names come fairly to the surface.
Here are dramatists and poets, critics and authors, racing men and soldiers ;
/) barristers, overworked and briefless ; princes of the Stock Exchange, with

^^ '' ■ ^

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^sfiiJ 29^

Eastbourne. ^|
S

faultless boots, unexceptionable gloves, and the latest fashion at their button-
hole: butterflies of both sexes, and all kinds of reputa'.ions ; bishops and
colonels, hard-worked business men, and speculative brokers, jostle each
other this night on the pathway of King's Road, Brighton.

In the roadway the block of carriages continues, whilst young beauty uses
her eye-glass with charming indifference. The old dowager who keeps
watch is our old acquaintance of the railway station. We all know the
yellow chariot and its occupant, who dcchnes under any provocation to
enter those horrid common vehicles, " full of Heaven knows what kind of
disease. Such arrangements were never dreamt of in my early days, and 1
positively refuse to give way." So says the old lady, and she thus takes
possession of her barouche, allows it to be drawn on the railway truck,
draws down the blinds, and sulks until after dinner the next day. Near
her is that feeble irritable bishop — dear good soul ! — who would not harm
a fly, and who yet condemns all mankind to eternal perdition, without a
saving clause. His comfortable carriage and two well-fed palfreys forbid
the idea of energy or anger. Hark to the clatter ! here they come ; one
and all fresh and handsome, well-bred, dainty, and full of life, with that gift
of open-faced honour that wins us whether we will or no. Make way for
the ladies ! the last canter before dinner; and witli head erect, seat well set
back, square shoulders, and hands well down, glowing with exercise and
fresh air, buoyant widi a sense of freedom, gather themselves out of the
crowd for a burst along the open road.

The throng clears as men wend homewards to dinner. The band on the
pier is heard softly whispering the last waltz, or an air from Trovatore. The
sun sinks down in a rush, whose golden glory crimsons the western sky,
from which Dick the boatman tells his mate that " it 's going to be a fine
day in the mornin', and may there be lots of 'em ; " and he swabs away at
his boat, thinking the while of his little sick one at home. So night settles
down, and men stroll out after dinner to smoke a good cigar in the cool
freshness of the evening air, and to utter to one another, "It is pleasant to
be by the side of the sea."

EASTBOURNE.

Midway between Brighton and Hastings, and just under the swell of the
far-famed South Downs, lies the fashionable watering-place of Eastbourne.
It is within a short distance of the spot where the grand outline of Beachy
Head casts its flickering reflection on the \\atcrs of the Knglish Channel.
I'lastbourne itself, and a large expanse inland, is but a few feet above the
level of the sea, and it is thus that the sea breezes swec]i across its entire
area, with a vigour that tempers its southern asi)ect, and gives to it its repu-
tation for bracing qualities. The general aspect of the town is one of marked
individuality, due to the taste and judgment with which its i)Osition has been
utilized In n^ respect is this more conspicuous than in the free use tliat

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Eastbourne.

has been made of foliage. The sense of newness in the houses has been
softened and enriched by trees planted in the streets, and by shrubs grouped
in available positions on the Esplanade and elsewhere. All these qualities
would, however, fail, if other and still more important ones were not fortli-
coming. The first essentials of a good watering-place are perfect drainage
and pure water, and in both these respects Eastbourne stands conspicuously
to the fore. The result is clear enough, for by the Registrar General's
returns it appears as one of the most healthy localities in England.

A few of the more conspicuous features in connection with Eastbourne

Li jJ '

EASTBOURNE.

and its neighbourhood, may be very briefly summarized. First : — There is
the Esplanade, with its terraces and flowers, having at one end Splash
Point, and at the other the Wish Tower. Beyond the Wish Tower the road
lies straight past the Convalescent Home to Beachy Head, whose height
is 575 feet above the sea level, and the view from which on a clear day is
magnificent. In returning from Beachy Head, the best route is through the old
town by Mead's Road, which will be found very pleasant and picturesque.

In the town itself, on the Terminus Road, is a small house known as Oak
Cottage; it enjoys a reputation as having been the spot where Charles II.
was concealed in an oak-tree whilst waiting for the opportunity to escape
to France. About four miles from Eastbourne is Pevensey, celebrated as
the locality where William the Conqueror landed before the Battle of
Hastings. The ruins of the Castle still remain, and aftbrd a pleasant spot
for a picnic.

Who that has ever been at Eastbourne does not know the ^^'ish Tower —
that crown of the Grand Parade? The jovial, pleasant path that runs up

5S-

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^ Eastbo2ii'iie. ^\
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its side overlooks both land and sea. To-night the sea front is full to tlie
brim, not a seat to spare ; the town is full, and Eastbourne is at its ease.
The lower terraces are alive, quivering with that curious hum that comes
from a great assemblage. At the corner of the steps stands the latest arrival
from London, more conscious of his own importance than the world would
place to his credit. Next him is one of that famous four-in-hand, the
prettiest girls in all Eastbourne, celebrated alike for their beauty and go,
renowned as good steppers, and moving well together. The chosen one
looks demure as the silken moustache tickles the corner of her ear. A
little farther on is that celebrated actress, whose photograph has made the
fortune of more than one advertising vendor. Then, again, comes one
whose laugh carries contagion as it flits by. Next him is the member of
that crack corps, noted for plunging, and who was hard hit last year at
Goodwood. Above, below, around, moving, flirting, gossiping, and laugh-
ing, is the pleasant fashionable world, stealing the charm from life as it flies
by on silken wing.

Down on the beach are the bathing machines. Old Poll, and the brown-
legged little ones. Lower down, among the sand and shingle, are the
curious gymnastics of the water babies : the sand fortifications stand out in
full defiance, and the trophies of war are duly appreciated in the shape of
captured spades and baskets. Here and there may be seen some anxious
mother, watching with passionate eagerness the roll of the waves, which
threaten to give an undesired bath to her girl Efiie or her boy Jack.

On the upper road all is alive with excitement. The barouche, with its
five hundred guinea pair of bays, is enlivened by that charming Duchess :
still young, though only a well-preserved sixty. Make way for the ponies !
Here they come, with a pleasant clatter, in long cavalcade : the grandchil-
dren of England's Queen. Clad in useful blouses, hugging their big dolls,
enjoying life, and manifesting no outward stamp of rank but the big good-
natured lacquey, who acts the grand part as master of the ceremonies.
Further up is gathered a crowd of loungers, waiting for the performance of
Poncho, the Wise Dog of the ^^'orld. He is guaranteed to tell fortunes, find
out secrets, and pick up the silver with his teeth.

As the evening sinks down, Eastbourne gathers itself within its walls, the
cosy dining-rooms look out on the sea, and the hum of pleasant company
tells the tale of society to whom life is a pleasure. The parades become
empty, Old Poll has vanished. Poncho has gone home, whilst Flautus still
reclines in graceful abstraction against the corner of his much-loved bathing-
machine. The general rotundity of his figure against the moonlight is
effective if not elegant. The few boats still flicker on the waters, whilst
from the pier the red and green lights dance across the ripple of the waves.
Softly comes the strain of the band, mellowed by the distance, across water ;
softer still come the shades of strollers, who drift towards their homes as the
moon mounts upwards. Here and there comes tiie perfume of a cigar in
the last stroll, before Eastbourne says "Good night.''

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HASTINGS AND ST. LEONARDS.

It has been frequently asserted that the air at Hastings has a relaxing
tendency ; but competent authorities have proved that for consumptive
patients the effect of a residence here is most invigorating. We, on our
part, simply speak from actual experience, when we say that it would be
very difficult to find a place oi seaside resort where the picturesque and
charming views of the interior are combined with the usual attractions ot
the seaside to such a marked extent.

The historical past claims special notice. Battle Abbey in the neighbour-
hood being the spot where the Saxon King Harold staked England's future

on the issue of a single battle, and lost. Hastings Castle, nearly a thousand
years old, should be visited, if only to secure the magnificent view to be
obtained from the summit of the hill. Bathing is provided for by numerous
comfortable bathing machines, and the wide expanse of shelving beach
forms a perfect Paradise for children- At stated hours the band plays on
the pier, the fashionable place of resort; and the visitor should not fail to
make himself acquainted with the local fishermen and their Dutch auctions,
while a small donation will enable the adventurous to accompany them on
one of their fishing excursions.

In the neighbourhood of Hastings, Pevensey, with its Castle, claims a
visit ; while Hurstmonceux and Bodiam, with their magnificent and beauti-
fully situated Castles, should on no account be neglected.

We have already mentioned Battle Abbey, and while there, we strongly
advise the tourist specially to study the noble gateway, which is assuredly one
of the finest in the country. The botanist will never fail to find occupation,
Hastings being celebrated for the variety and beauty of its flowers,

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WORTHING.

"Midway between the two poles of racing excitement, hali-way between
Goodwood and Brighton, Hes a long, low, wave-washed shore, which I take
to be the most innocent spot on the south coast of England ; for \N'orthing
is almost wholly given up to children and domestic joys. There is nothing,
believe me, Lilliputian or insignificant about Worthing. Her fine, extensive,
gravelled promenade has a spacious Portland Place air about it. The sands
when the tide retires are like a broad yellow race-gourse, between shingle
and sea. The roadway is as important as the King's Parade at Brighton.
The houses in West Worthing look as if Lancaster Gate and Hyde Park
Gardens had come out of town for a holiday. Worthing has hotels with a

serious, dignified air about them — hotels where waiters in evening dress
hand the salmon and cutlet. There is a town hall in the centre of a spot-
less street, with an important portico, and a tone reminding one of cjuarter
sessions. But, in spite of this solemn importance, irrespective of these
grown-up hotels and four-storied houses, notwithstanding these plate-glass
windows and town hall, the impression left on my mind after visiting
Worthing is that the place, originally intended for grown-up folks and
adults, has been bombarded and taken by an army from Lillijiut. I never
saw so many children or visited a seaside place where they were more ten-
derly cared for. The day is scarcely warm before the boys are being bathed
by their fathers. The breakfast things arc cleared away by eight o'clock.
The sands and the shingle are one long mile of nursery until one o'clock.
The place is asleep all the afternoon, and by ten every light is out but that
of the moon, which makes a i)ath of pleasant light across a silent sea, and
illuminates a deserted shore." — I?i7i/y Telegraph.

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TUN BRIDGE WELLS.

While the great majority of our lioliday and health-seekers flock annually
to the seaside, it is left to inland watering-places to satisfy the requirements
of those who prefer inland enjoyments and surroundings or are scarcely strong
enough to indulge in sea-bathing. Ot these inland watering-places Tun-
bridge Wells has certainly been the most popular, and is now the most
thriving. The Chalybeate Springs were accidentally discovered by a dissi-
pated young nobleman in 1606, and the curative properties of the water
having effected a most remarkable improvement in his health, large numbers
were attracted to the spot, and the town of " Tunbridge Wells " sprang into
existence.

TUNBRIDGE WELLS.

The objects of primary importance to visitors are naturally the Springs,
to which indeed Tunbridge Wells owes its origin. They are situated at the
entrance to " The Parade," or as it was formerly called " The Pantiles," and
are accessible to the general public on merely nominal terms. Tunbridge
ware or mosaic, the sole indigenous manufacture, is fully entitled to notice,
and the varied articles produced evidence much artistic skill.

At seaside places the shore is generally the centre of attraction, — at Tun-
bridge Wells the " Common " is the place of fashionable resort, while the
shady " Grove " offers a pleasant retreat from the scorching heat of a sultry
summer's day. The motto upon the entrance gate, Silva quam dilecta, will
by most visitors be deemed an appropriate one. Amusements of all descrip-
tions, both in and outdoor, are sufficiently numerous to drive dull care
away without rendering a prolonged stay as arduous as a London season,
while the numberless excursions available amidst the magnificent surround-
ing scenery will occupy a considerable period.

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PORTSMOUTH.

A LARGE garrison town, a great naval arsenal, and a pleasant sea-side
resort, are here all grouped together. Its vantage points are alive with
forts, bristling with armaments, and full to the last touch with naval and
military peculiarities. With characteristic good taste the Services have chosen
Southsea Common as their loitering-ground — a clear open space of treeless,
shrubless turf, close down on the shore, and rising but a few feet above the
sea-level. Across its surface the strong sea air sweeps without hindrance,
■carrying everywhere the tonic of its full briny flavour. During the warm
summer months this open space is peculiarly grateful and e.xceptionally

VILW OF I'OKTS.MOUTil-

healthy. Standing on the shore you look across six miles of open water ;
within its expanse a navy can manoeuvre with ease or lie at rest in perfect
safety. In the near distance rises the wooded heights of the far-famed
Isle of Wight, that pendent gem of our Southern coasts. Looking out to
sea may be seen those iron-faced forts that sweep the mid-channel, whilst
on the shore far away may be traced the outlines of forts and batteries
innumerable. Portsmouth is well guarded, and is meant for fighting if ever
it becomes necessary.

CHICHESTER.

A CERTAIN atmosphere ot clean respectability lingers round all cathedral
towns, and in this respect Chichester is not behind its compeers. The
sense of ecclesiastical life peers out in the Theological College, becomes
more conspicuous in Bishop Otter's Training College, and rises to its full
dignity in the charm of the Cathedral itself. Chichester Cathedral is the

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Chichester

widest in England, with the exception of York, and exhibits in its con-
struction that same principle of symbolism by which Ely and other ecclesi-
astical edifices are characterized. Chichester being dedicated to the Holy
Trinity, manifests throughout its structure the triune principle: "The side
shafts are triple throughout. The bearing shafts of the vaulting are clustered
in threes, and branch out with three triple vaulting ribs above." There is a
further peculiarity in the construction, for, in place of the usual north and
south aisles, there are two aisles on each side of the nave. In the north-
west porch is an oak chest, reported to be nearly eight hundred years old,
having been brought from Selsey when the See was removed from that
place to Chichester. In the interior are some good mural tablets ; that to

VIEW OF CHICHESTER CATHEDRAL.

Miss Agnes Cromwell is said to be Flaxman's masterpiece. One of the
most curious points in connection with this Cathedral is the Consistory
Court, which dates from the reign of Henry VI., and was founded for the
trial of the Lollards. From the south aisle of the nave a small door locked
(close to the iron gate) gives access to a spiral staircase, and leads to the
chamber itself. The Judge's chair remains, and close by is a sliding panel,
which conceals a dark room, without doubt intended as a cell for prisoners.
This curious arrangement brings back with vivid distinctness the position
occupied by the Church in bygone times. The Cathedral is open every
week-day from nine to dusk, excepting between the hours of one and two.
The best point of entry is from the west.

One of the peculiarities of the town is the old Roman arrangement by
which the four main streets represented the four points of the compass.

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N. S. E. and W., and were named after them. The names still remain. The
original gates which formed the termination of the streets in the city walls
are all removed, although their whereabouts may still be traced. Some
portions of the old walls still remain ; they are about 20 feet high, with semi-
circular bastions, part of which have, with great appreciation of their present
value, been converted into a terrace walk for the palace and deanery.

Within an hour's walk of Chichester Station is far-famed and beautiful
Goodwood. It is celebrated as the gem of racing localities, and noted as
giving the glow to the epoch which marks the close of the London season.
The course itself is within a noble and tenderly timbered park, over whose
face are still scattered the remnants of those thousand cedars planted more
than a century since. Far across the greensward is Cairney's Seat, a spot
which aftbrds a magnificent view over the surrounding country. A mile
away is Rook's Hill, one of the principal summits of the South Downs, and
more than 700 feet above the sea level. Within the house itself are grouped
strange relics of men and times. Here are portraits of Charles I. and
his children by Vandyck, of Pitt by Gainsborough, Duchess of Richmond
by Reynolds, Duchess of Portsmouth by Kneller, and saucy Nell Gwynne
by Lely. In the Yellow Drawing-Room is the silver breakfast plate used
by Napoleon on the morning of Waterloo. To minds of a different type
there is that curious relic, the shirt of Charles I. The Park at Goodwood
is open at all times ; the house on week days when the family are absent.

THE ISLE OP WIGHT.

There is no portion of England which combines witliin so small a space
so many tempting localities as the Isle of Wight. Its far-famed scenery
unites with the freshness of the air and softness of its climate to make it at
once pleasant, picturesque, and beautiful.

Fashion has endorsed its claims, whilst the home of our Queen at Osborne
gives to the island a great reputation as a health resort. This reputation is
not undeserved. Sandown and Ventnor are each representative of special
health-giving qualities. Sandown is fresh, bracing, and tonic, a locality fitted
for those who seek fresh air, good bathing, and good sands; whilst Ventnor,
from the softness of its climate, has justly been called the Madeira of Eng-
land. Its climate is light, dry, and soothing, well fi'.ted for those who are
sensitive to the action of strong air ; and it owes its rapid rise to the recom-
mendation of Sir James Clark, who pointedly referred to its suitability as a
sanatorium in his celebrated "Treatise on the Inlluence of Climate." It is
much frequented for its restorative power in cases of pulmonary weakness.

These, however, are mostly special points : the great general characteristic
of the island is its charming scenery. Certain places are noted for special
features : thus, the pier at Ryde, the sands and bathing at Sandown, the
Chines at Shanklin and Blackgang, the diversity of scenery in the Undercliff,

^:2 xl^

The Isle of Wight. ^\

the Castle at Carisbrook, the position and grouping at Ventnor, the yachting
at West Cowes, and the special local scenic beauty at Bonchurch.

The first point of interest on arriving at Ryde is the pier stretching away
more than a third of a mile, and the tramway which runs in direct communi-
cation with the Isle of Wight Railway, the visitor being taken by the tram
into the station itself The railway has direct communication with Sandown,
Ventnor, Newport, and West Cowes ; these four towns and their immediate
neighbourhood embracing the most conspicuous points of interest or beauty.
The most special point of interest at Ryde is the pier. During the season
it is crowded with ladies, who loiter and look pretty under the potent charm
of fresh air, good society, and pleasant surroundings.

West Cowes is the rendezvous for the Yacht Club, the regatta of which
takes place on the 2 ist of August and two following days. The subscription
to the club is £'i, the entrance fee £1^- Each member has the right,
under an Admiralty warrant, to carry the St. George's Ensign. The yachting
season is from May to November. Sandown is a beautiful watering-place,
celebrated for its sands, bathing, and pleasant surroundings. There are
some charming houses scattered about the neighbourhood, and altogether
it is one of the most rising sea-side places in the south of England. From
Sandown there is a pleasant walk along the top of the cliff to Shanklin, the
distance being about two miles. It is prudent not to approach too near
the edge of the cliff, as the soil is treacherous. The bathing at Shanklin
is very good. The special point of attraction is the Chine, which, for
picturesque beauty, stands almost alone. The best view is obtained by
ascending from the beach. A small fee has to be paid at the wicket. From
Shanklin the road leads through Bonchurch to Ventnor. The best route
is by the cliff, and leads past Luccombe Chine, through the far-famed
Landslip, the romantic beauty of which is really unequalled.

The foliage is very luxuriant, and many plants that are tender exotics
in other parts grow here in full vigour in the open air all the year round.
Bonchurch has now become almost a portion of Ventnor, from the continu-
ous increase of mansions and chalets along the road.

Ventnor has risen rapidly into importance, and maintains its position as
a great sanatorium. The peculiar delicacy and softness of its climate
renders it an exceedingly suitable place of resort for those who feel acutely
the damp London fogs or the keen northern air. Ventnor contains not only
the qualities of air and position, but all the charms of luxuriant beauty,
good society, and pleasant surroundings. From Ventnor the first great point
of attraction is the Undercliff. Some one may ask, What is the Under-
cliff ? In reality, it is that which its name signifies, a cliff at the foot of a
higher cliff Its length is about five miles, and its breadth varies from a
quarter to half a mile. The scenery along its course is the finest in the
island, and is a favourite place of resort for artists and lovers of the pictu-
resque.

From Ventnor there are coaches which run to Fresliwater Bay and Alum g

W
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^ ' FrEShWaTEK l^AY

The Keep • Car^isbrooke

P The Isle of Wight. "

Bay. From the last-named place it is customary to take a boat to see the
far-famed Needles, which are simply portions of the old cliff that are left
standing, the remainder having been washed away by the sea ; the effect,
liowever, is singular and impressive. It is necessary that the sea should be
perfectly calm before the voyage be attempted ; tliis, however, is usually the
case here, from the generally protected position. Viewed from the sea.
Freshwater CHffs stand out in vivid and magnificent distinctness of effect.

Ne\vj)ort is tlie capital of the island, and situate in its centre. Close by
its outskirts lies the celebrated Carisbrook Castle. Here Charles I. was
confined, and from hence he twice tried hard to escape. Once he failed
because the bars of his window were too close together. The ne.xt time he
failed because his intention leaked out, and the guards were doubled.
Shortly after this second attempt he was removed as a prisoner to Hurst
Castle, on tlie mainland. The ruins of Carisbrook Castle are picturesque,
and some parts are in good preservation ; other portions have been restored.
There is a celebrated well and a remarkable donkey. The first is remark-
able for its depth, and the second for its longevity. The present animal
has been doing duty, by winding up water, since 185 i.

NOTE.

Considerable care has been taken to make tlie Guide fairly representative of
the leading points in connection with the London Brighton and Soutii Coast
Railway. Embracing as it does a great variety of subjects and a large number
of localities, it is quite possible that some noteworthy points may have escaped
attention. The Editor will therefore be glad to receive information, hints, or
corrections, on any of the topics which have been treated.
Address —

Editor "London Brighton and South Coast Guide,"
Morton & Co.,

7 Water Lane,

Queen Victoria Street,

E.C.

242

-i^rr^

THE ROYAL .MAIL.

One of the most important improvements in Central London is that of the
Holborn Viaduct. The bridge which now spans the " Valley of the Fleet "
forms an agreeable break in that long line of stately buildings which fringe
the great artery that runs direct from Newgate Street to the West End.
Conspicuous in its centre is the splendid facade of the London, Chatham,
and Dover Railway Station, its outlines clear, sharp, and effective. On
the opposite side of the road there arises in quaint beauty the spire of St.
Sepulchre's, from whose belfry is still rung out the knell which tells the
hour of the doomed. A little to the right loom the general outlines of
Newgate, dark, threatening, and grim, forming a heavy centre to the bright
lines of new warehouses by which it is surrounded. In the open roadway
the rush of life surges into eddies or breaks into smaller streams at the
railway station entrance. It is from the spot here indicated that the Royal
Mail speeds forth, morning and night, carrying by the Calais Route the
mass of the correspondence that links England to the greater portion of
the world. By this route the mail-bags pass for India, Eastern Europe,
and Asia ; by it also passes that great mass of continental travellers to
whom time is an object, and who crave for a short sea route and fixed
hours. In the early morning, ere the City life begins, the mail speeds on
its way, pausing for a moment at Ludgate Hill, before it sweeps over the
roofs of that huge agglomeration of bricks and mortar which form the outer
belt of London. At Heme Hill the train halts to link on the half portion
from Victoria, and then rushes onward with swift pace to its destination. A
few minutes brings in view Sydenham Hill, on which still stands the struc-
ture that gave the most lasting and distinctive architectural feature to the
world's gathering of 1S51. Onwards through Bromley and Broadlands.
where we commence to meet that sylvan scenery which gives to Kent its
wide reputation for beauty. Fast fades the faint line of distant woods as
the train glides onward amid the scattered homes of rural English life
which peep forth at every point, — here nestling amid charming foliage,
there perched on some slight eminence, or at other spots grouj^cd in small
clusters from which arise the weather-worn spire of the small village church.
Thus flitting we pass "that stretch of country before we reach the outlying
buttresses of our naval arsenal — Chatham. Close here is Gad's Hill, the
spot made famous as the residence in his later years of Charles Dickens,
and here we may see, as we look down from the train, that quaint form of
house and home that he portrayed in his writings and rendered immortal
by his genius. From this point the same general characteristics of scencr)-
remain : farms and hop-gardens alternate with family mansions and

-' SiLbiu'ban Trajfu. ^

rich fields which the play of hght and shade convert into phases of
rustic scenic beauty. Half an hour of swift travelling brings us to Canter-
bury, the outline of whose cathedral recalls the days when England was
still under the sway of that Church whose dominion at this hour is only
limited by the domain of human life. From Canterbury to Dover the
distance is not great, and in another half an hour the train runs along that
Admiralty Pier under whose protection lies ready for the start the mail-
boat. Across the short span of sea lies old-world Calais, the first foothold
gained and the last foothold yielded in that long fierce struggle between
England and France. Times have changed, and those who keep watch
and ward in the old French town wait for the arrival of the steam ferry
which brings English visitors, English appetites, and English money. From
Calais two trains speed on their way, one for Paris by way of Boulogne,
the other for Bruxelles and the quaint cities of Belgium and Holland.

One of the great advantages of the Calais route is the opportunity it
affords of reaching Paris by way of Brussels. By many travellers \}l\\% dctoui-
is entirely overlooked, but to those who have never seen either Brussels
or Waterloo the loss is very great. In Brussels there are some good
picture-galleries, some remarkable public buildings, and some fine street
architecture, whilst within half an hour by rail is the famous field of Water-
loo. There are few Englishmen to whom such a locality does not appeal
with great force, as the points round which the struggle was fiercest remain
in practically the same condition as they were on the day of the battle.
In these days of volunteer armies, it affords a splendid opportunity of
studying the details of a masterly strategic position as chosen by the
originator of the lines of Torres Vedras. The loss of time to go to Pau
by way of Brussels, and including a visit to the field of Waterloo, need
not much exceed a day. The results will amply repay both the time and
money.

One of the most salient peculiarities of modern London life is the growth
of its suburbs. From that outside belt of brick and mortar each day
brings countless thousands into the heart of the City, and each night sees
them taken back to their suburban homes, leaving streets vacant and the
great maze of offices and warehouses silent and deserted. The flowing
to and fro of this great tide of life is effected by the aid of the local railway
traffic. One has only to enter a railway terminus at five or six o'clock in
the evening to have ample testimony of its immensity. ]\Ien choose their
localities from prudence, or necessity, or inclination, and conspicuous
amongst them may be mentioned Dulwich, rendered famous by its rural
quietude, charming picture-gallery, and its pleasant scenery. Sydenham
towers upward, the glittering lights reflected from the faint outlines and glow-
ing beauty of the world-renowned Crystal Palace. Intermediate are a series
of pleasant spots where men may forget the turmoil of life, and readily
imagine they are still in the depths of country life. Here and there may
be seen fat kine grazing in rich meadows, whilst wide-spreading beeches

DidwicJi Gallery.

or elms give a quiet and rustic beauty to the scene. It may be a mere
illusion, but the illusion is none the less pleasant when it puts on the garb
of contentment and quiet.

DULWICH GALLERY.

There are i'^w modes of spending an afternoon more agreeable than that
of lounging through the picture-gallery at Duhvich. It is readily reached
by the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway, and there are two stations,
either of which is within a few minutes' walk. These stations are Heme
Hill and Duhvich. The galler}' itself is not a large one, although there are
some pictures of excentional merit on its walls, and one that has a \erv

sr. JOHN 'lui': iiai'TIst.

V1K(;1N A.M) CIIII.I>.

wide and well-deserved reputation. We have selected five of the pictures
as being some of those best fitted for engraving. They are by (iuido,
Vandyke, Hobbema, Wilson, and Murillo ; the last picture being celebrated
throughout Europe. It is not too much to say of these pictures that each
one is good of its kind. The picture by Guido of "St. John in the \\'ilder-
ness " is delicate, effective, and tender, whilst the companion-picture, by
Vandyke, which is engraved with it, is vigorous in colour and telling in its
general grouping. It is necessary to point out that the pictures tliemselves
hang widely apart in the gallery itself, and are placed side by side in the
engraving as a matter of convenience only.

2^7

^3^

•♦<^

Dtdwich Gallery

LANDSCAPE. — HOBBEMA.

The above picture has exceptional merit and finish, and is a very good
example of the qualities of that artist.

MAECENAS' VILLA. — WILSON.

This landscape will at once remind visitors of Turner's handling; there are

indications of those great aerial effects which became so conspicuous in the

later artist's work.
'■^ 268 (

,,3$5 «^<L

eJ<3-

DiiliuicJi Gallery.

■li^^^

The gem of ihe collection is probably "The Spanish Flower Girl," by
Murillo, which is in the great artist's best style, remarkable at once for its
saucy naturalness, its admirable /t^jT, combined with careful handling and
finish.

Cs^

CRYSTAL PALACE.

There is no place in or around London so well adapted for a day's outing
as the Crystal Palace. It combines beauty, fresh air, intellectual surround-
ings, and a good restaurant : the last is an item for comfort on a holiday.
The best way to reach the Palace is by the London, Chatham and Dover
Railway, whose train places the visitor at the grand transept, the true centre
of the whole building. In the interior of the Palace a man may familiarize
himself with all the great productions of classic and modern Art, whilst he
is surrounded by examples of all the great types of architecture. In the
I'icture Gallery he may see good examples of works by living painters, whilst
in the grounds he will find pleasant walks, shady nooks, and admirable
geological animals reproduced with great care.

269

-^^^

Cjystal Palace.

MedicEval Court. — Here we have an illustration of the change from the
round to the pointed arch, the essential characteristic of all Gothic archi-
tecture. The Cathedrals of England afford many splendid illustrations of
its wonderful capabilities, Plxamples are here given from York, Ely,
Lincoln, Winchester, Rochester, and Salisbury.

Renaissance Court. — So called from the revival of ancient Art in Europe
after the fall of Constantinople. Here is a copy of the celebrated gates from
the Baptistery at Florence, called by Michael Angelo, on account of their
beauty, " The Gates of Paradise."

Alhambra Court. — The Alhambra is conspicuous from the splendour and
richness of its architectural decoration. The portion of the Alhambra
Palace here reproduced is the famous Court of the Lions.

A.-rl A.'-'. B.^A CO U k T

^^-^- <■ tn Y ^" Av N T I N C COURT-. K^^^^T^^'

Byzantine Court. — It will be readily noticed that there is a resemblance
in the general style of this Court to that of the Alhambra. This is more
particularly apparent in the circular arches and general type of ornament,
both styles having a common origin in classic architecture.

— ^^^'G]

Crystal Palace.

Pompeiaii Court. — This Court is conspicuous for its refined and artistic
beauty. It bears all the essential qualities of Greek Art, of which it was
an offshoot. All the bronzes, statues, altars, and grouping bear the same
general characteristics. The importance of this point in connection with

the 2;eneral character of Greek Art is immense.

i(^.^'-

O ;•■

'^^^^^^^ G GPEEK C07RT ;J '(^^<^,

Greek Court. — iSlore especially remarkable for the casts of Greek sculp-
ture, an art in which the ancient Greeks have never been equalled. Here
may be seen models of the Acropolis at Athens, as also the Parthenon.

Egyptian Court. — The architecture of Egypt is characterized by its
gigantic proportions and great solidity, and those that have come down to
us were almost exclusively associated with religion. The Court is designed
on the lines of an Egyptian Temple.

t^.

-|^J^'3 Cegvptian • covrtI di^^'^'-^ ( 3 ITAI^IAV Govj^Tt ) ^-^^i

Italian Court, — The most noteworthy objects here are the casts from
Michael Angelo and the fine door from St. Mark's at Venice. Here also
is a model of St. Peter's at Rome.

-<^^&3>

(iJt5-

One of the most romantic points in the neighbourhood of the River
Thames is Rochester Castle. It dates back to the time of the Conquest,
having been founded by William I., on tiie same spot as that which had
been occupied by the Romans a thousand years before. It stands, as the
Tower of London stands, upon the brink of the river, helping to com-
mand that great natural highway, and illustrating in a very vivid manner
the mode in which the Conqueror kept his grip upon the land he had won.
The position of the Castle is one of great beauty, and it stands up against
the sky clear and distinct in its grey ruggedness. The gardens sre thrown
open to the public, having been obtained by the Corporation on It as- from
the Earl of Jersey for that purpose.

ROCHESTER.

When a boy, Charles Dickens
lived here, and in his walks fre-
quently passed Gad's Hill Place,
on Gad's Hill, ever memorable
for its association with Sir John
Falstaff— " But my lads, my lads, ' -— ^-- ^ - ^ — j*..,./.-^

to-morrow morning by four o'clock, early at Gad's Hill ! There are pilgrims
going to Canterbury with rich offerings, and traders riding to London with
fat purses. I have vizards for you all ; you have horses for yourselves." Thus
early in life, Dickens informs us that he determined to become the owner
of Gad's Place. This object of his ambition was eventually gratified in
3856, and the above extract, illuminated and placed in a frame, was the first
object to attract the attention of visitors. There are some charming walks
in the vicinity ; that to Maidstone from Rochester we have Dickens' autho-
rity for describing as one of the most beautiful walks in England. Round
Cobham, skirting the park and village, and passing the " Leather Pottle,"
famous in the pages of " Pickwick," is another flivourite walk. Many of the
scenes and descriptions in "Great Expectations" are adapted from places
in the neighbourhood. In a letter to a friend in 1S56 Dickens, speaking of
the neighbourhood, says, " The country is beautiful. . . . T.iere is no
healthier, and none, in my eyes, more beautiful."

^.3^-

THE ISLE OF THANET.

This curious, half-obliterated island is nine miles long and five miles
I)roa(l. Men talk of it, books are written about it, and we all refer to it,
yet in all probability there is not one in a thousand knows what it means.
^Vho is there at a moment's notice that will be prepared to define its water
boundaries? Nothing is easier when it is known, yet few things would be
less suggestivi?. The truth is, the old waterways are becoming closed up,
and our Isle of Thanet is practically an island only in name, for the old
broad river which once existed is now nearly closed by filling up. On the
sea coast, which looks towards the Isle of Sheppy a short way above Heme
Bay, rise the far-famed Reculvers. They are the last relics of the church
which once stood there, and they mark the opening into the River
VVanstum, which runs across the land joining the River Stour, which has its
inlet at Pegwell Bay, and thus forms the Isle of Thanet. This was the
old waterway from London to the Continent, at a time when traders were
glad of any route Avhich kept them free from sea storms and sea rovers.
In those days the river which bears the two names was very much larger
than at present, and trading vessels very much smaller, so that the traflic
passed in at one end and out at the other with great facility, leaving that
long stretch of sea coast round by Ramsgate and Margate to those who
followed the right honourable profession of pirate. The sense of insecurity
was marked by l;he huge fortress erected at each end where the river entered
the sea, and all that now remains are the ruins, which play the part of land-
marks to the fishermen, or which excite the attention and appreciation of
the antiquarian or the archaeologist.

This is the history of the past. What of the present ? Let any one turn his
head towards the breezes which come so refreshingly from the North Sea,
and note how thoroughly the island is growing into a great seaside resort.
Along the whole coast the evidence makes itself felt at every turn : indi-
vidual houses grow into clusters, expand into terraces, and become con-
spicuous by the readiness with which they are occupied. Look at the mere
list of names — Birchington-on-Sea, Westgate -on-Sea, Margate, Broadstairs,
Ramsgate, and a host of smaller places Avhich can be thrown in as a mere
makeweight. Several of these are but the creatures of yesterday, and they
already have a reputation. Westgate-on-Sea, for example, seems to say,
" I am prepared to show bungalows and villas, small cottages, and Queen
Anne mansions, for the mere enjoyment of the thing." Margate grows
larger each day, and finds thousands who believe in its bracing power ;
whilst Broadstairs and Ramsgate are each stretching towards the other in
a way that indicates that they intend eventually to meet How comes all
this ? Why do people flock each year to the Isle of Thanet ? The answer
is that they find it suits them. It is possible to create a fictitious popu-
larity, but that soon dies out : it is the natural popularity that bears such
ripe fruit. Men know what they feel, and act upon it. The dry teaching
of statistics tells the same tale. In a return compiled by the Registrar-
General the health of the neighbourhood ranks very high.

274

HERNE BAY.
A LONG row of houses which nestle by the shore, a respectable jetty
which meets your advances half-way, and a glowing sun whose light quivers
over the almost quiescent sea ; these form the first view of quiet, unosten-
tatious, and retiring Heme Bay. On the black board near the station is
the announcement that the Registrar General has certified its general salu-
brity. The effect is visible in the complaisance which manifests itself at
every step. The cabman who touches his hat moves with an air of con-
scious quietude ; the bus-driver flicks the gad-fly off his near wheeler
with a mild apologetic protest ; whilst the hotel-keeper stands in his door-
way, cool, placid, and smiling, pointing to the chair in the nearest bav-
window with an air that defies imitation. In his innermost heart he -doubts
whether the world holds such another Paradise as Heme Bay. In his

H^KEi-MV-

judgment it combines all the qualities to render life at the seaside trulv
delightful. "Here are no hurdy-gurdies, sir; no tum-tums ; no vulga-
tumblers. We don't believe in 'em ? We believe in gentility and fresh air."
The lady joins chorus. " So truly rural and so thoroughly seaside-like. All
the quiet of the one and all the freshness of the other. At what hour would
you like dinner, sir ? and have you any particular choice as to your wine ? "'
A sense of lazy indifference steals over the senses as we watch life from
the bay-window. It is eminently unexciting. The air is ])larid, the sea is
placid, the movements of the people are placid, and the shore, stretching
out its long, flat surface, is placid also. Placidity is written ever)'where.
The young urchins who paddle in the sea and stroll out a long way from
the shore, with the water not higher than their ankles, arc undisturbed by
waves, and dimb quietly into the bnac which is beached by the receding

275

.^3^'■

Westgale.

tide. The mothers look on with tender appreciation from the vantage-
ground on the high bank. The fathers redine in the sun, and doze over
their newspaper, which is held upside down, while the young ladies borrow
the old novels from the library and dream away their hour. All is quiet —
quiet even to the point of " rest and be thankful." The pony which drags
the miniature four-wheeler feels the influence ; he strays from the road
to browse on the hedges ; whilst the donkey, which puts in an appearance
every day, does so with the manner which notifies "it is my business to
carry panniers and children, so no hurrying, if you please." The old lady
who knits her stocking, and looks out over the quiet sheet of water stretch-
ing far awa}', trembles as she thinks of long, long ago. Time has dealt
tenderly and lovingly with her, and she acknowledges all as she basks in
the sun. The old salt who sits by her side grows excited, as he tells of
that night when the good ship went ashore off the Land's End. He warmly
enters once again into the struggle ; this time safe on land. So moves and
thinks and swells that mass of human life which finds its holiday quarters
here ; and those to whom quiet is a necessity, who are weary of the every-
day rush, who claim, if only for a brief period, the right of silence and
seclusion, may go farther and fare worse.

WESTGATE.

From Heme Bay the train speeds rapidly on its way, skirting the estuary
of the Thames, and each moment approaching nearer to the open sea. On
either side of the rail is a broad expanse of green sward, and this flatness
remains conspicuous until we near Ramsgate. Nearer the water side the
borders gradually rise into cliffs, on which are still seen the old coast-
guard houses with their weather-beaten look. As the train nears ^Margate
we are reminded by the outlines of new terraces and well-laid roads that
the spirit of speculative appreciation is not dormant, for at "Westgate the
tone of modern life is distinctly perceptible. Few places have risen more
rapidly in general esteem than this comparatively novel sea-side place.
Its position gives it much of the bracing vigour for which Margate is
recommended, and more of that quietude for which so many seek in vain.
It is also laid out with greater appreciation of loitering, and if less
enthusiastic is not less agreeable. There is an esplanade that runs by the
side of the sea, where a man may loiter after dinner and imbibe at once the
freshness of the strong sea air and the delicious soothing of a good cigar.
It is well asphalted, has garden-seats scattered here and there, and a good
look-out over the cliffs at the far end. If you are fond of croquet, lawn
tennis, or bowls ; go to Westgate. If you like to rest in the open and
watch the waves as they break lazily on the shore; go to Westgate. If you
love the sound of music sweetened as it floats over water, or the hum
of busy whirling life mellowed by distance ; again we say, go to Westgate.

276 ^

9-^^—— — ijtr^

MARGATE.

There is no seaside place at once so popular and so bracing as
Margate. The reasons for these results are not far to seek, and they are to
be found in its pronounced natural advantages, combined with its proximity
to the metropolis. If any one will look at a map, he will see in a moment
its great natural position. It stands on the brow of that jutting headland
of the chalk cliffs which fringe the mouth of the Thames. The strong air
from the Northern sea sweeps down upon it with refreshing vigour during
the heats of summer. The crisp, briny flavour, cool and close-grained, acts
as a powerful tonic on the unstrung nerves of those who are enfeebled by
the heat ; and thus the hosts of London life rush to its shores. The high
chalk cliffs imply dry, clear air, whilst the rich luxuriance of the country
side gives zest to the change. Life rebounds as the old refrain of the song
is trolled forth with full vigour, and men who never sang a verse in their
lives, feel themselves entitled to shout out, " A rare old place is Margate !"

There are many who appreciate the great natural stimulating qualities of
Margate air, and who do not restrict their appreciation of its advantages to
July and August; they believe that in the rich days of early spring, equally
with those of the soft and tender beauty of late autumn, this great seaside
resort is at once pleasant and invigorating. Many artists think the same,
and our great landscape painter. Turner, used constantly to visit this
locality. Our engraving is from one of his sketches, modified to suit the
more practical purposes of the Guide. In one respect considerable judg-
ment has been shown by those who have had the original planning of
Margate. The Jetty stretches far out into the sea, and affords at once a
pleasant promenade and a healthful lounge. When all else is sultry and
wearying, there, at least, may be found the cool sea breeze. There also
may be seen all ..those curious varieties of London life which each season
sends to the surface.

It will be well for those who choose an outing at Margate to make up
their mind what kind of change they desire. If it be bustle, jollity, and
excitement, with plenty of life, all these are to be found at Margate during
the months of July and August. Those, however, who wish quieter life
can find it either in its near neighbour and practical suburb, Westgate-
on-Sea, or in the higher ground of the cliffs, locally known as the Fort.
Here are long terraces and streets of houses, fitted for home life and
enjoyment. Here the town stretches out until it reaches the fields, and
here in the autumn may be seen the rich luxuriance of crops for which this
neighbourhood is celebrated. There is one point in connection with this
locaHty which ought not to be omitted, that is, its practical nearness to
London. There are trains which run between Ludgate Hill and IMargate in
about one hundred minutes, so that a man may breakfast and bathe, and
yet be in his oflice in decent time in the morning ; or he may toil on until
the bank closes, and yet dine comfortably in the evening as he looks out on
that broad expanse of ocean, over whose surface floats those breezes which
are to bring to him fresh strength and energy for the work of to-morrow.

27S

BROADSTAIRS.

There are few places on the Kentish Coast more tempting to an over-
worked man than Broadstairs. The station indicates the surroundingi.
It stands in the midst of corn-fields, looking down upon the sea. On the
right, a pathway through the corn gives a sense of country life, whilst the

3r-

BROADSTAIRS.

old houses clustered near the shore
embowered in trees, suggest quiet and
rest. The place is intended for croquet, camp-
stools, and novels. Stroll down to the shore
and you will find yourself among old-fashioned
windows, demure respectability, and quiet
lodgings. The place sprang from the past,
and has the stamp of olden times. Tiie
streets are primitive in their tortuous turn-
ings, and they seem to believe in the principle
of the spherical triangle. They shoot round
the corner at a curve, and they arrive at an
abrupt termination on the line of a circle.
There is an advantage even in this, for it is a
change from those parallel lines of houses
which wear you out by their monotony. Broadstairs is eminently free from
all such imputation : it seems to have only one idea, and that is to see how
close it can get to the side of the sea. The long row in front of the cliti
admits a break in its picturesqueness, so that the fisher-folk may dry their
nets. The lodging-houses are close by, through whose open doors steals the
jierfume of wallflowers and mignonette, borne on the breeze from the sea.
The whole place has the elements of the pleasant, the picturesque, and the
primitive. The old pier, which does ns duty manfully, protests in a modest

279

LS^

____ e^

Kamsgate. \

way against all modern innovations. It believes in wood ; it wants neither
stone piers nor stone buttresses ; and, above all, it wants to be left alone.
If you are willing to take things as they are, you are welcome; but, if there
is to be any fuss, please stay away. Society is, however, ungenerous in its
requirements ; it declines to stay away, and it equally declines to be con-
tented. The result is beginning to manifest itself in new houses that are
beginning to spring out of the earth all round the neighbourhood. This is
conspicuously so in the route to St. Peter's, that pleasant hamlet which lies
across the fields. In Broadstairs itself the passion for building has not yet
burst forth, and it is possible to rest here within the sound of the waves
and outside the hurry and rush of larger places. Broadstairs is a hamlet of
the parish of St. Peter's, and enjoys the reputation of having been fortified in
days gone by, an arch of the fortification still remaining in the route to the
pier, from which it is said to take its name. The gate to which we now refer
was erected as a protection against smugglers and privateers, who were very
numerous here at one time.

In the immediate vicinity of Broadstairs is the village of St. Peter's. The
pathway lies across the fields, and the place is so sheltered by trees that it
IS quite possible to be close to its neighbourhood without being aware of
its existence. On the road towards St. Peter's a large number of new
houses have been erected, and there seems every probability of this locality
rising into importance. The view from Broadstairs Station, looking across
the fields towards the sea, is, on a fine day, exceedingly beautiful.

RAMSGATE.

A LONG dark tunnel through which the strong sea air steadily makes its
way, the murmur of voices in the distance blending with the plash of the
waves, a rush, a scurry, a babble of cries, a flash of strong sunlight, and lo !
we are by the side of Ramsgate Sands. The London Chatham and Dover
Terminus at Ramsgate is actually built on the sands. Here is the world at its
ease ; the rough conundrum of life in its undress — laughing, singing, dancing.
The whole breadth of the long white shore is alive with those whose actions
proclaim the abajidon of buoyant health and the wildness of vivid enjoy-
ment. They have come for their holiday, and are not to be baulked. They
claim the hour as their own, and allow the broad sense of humour to have
its way. Tlie cobwebs that have crowded into the overworked brain have
to flit before the claims of companionship and the excitement of the sea-
side. Men forget to worry when they are constrained to laugh. The
grotesque or the ludicrous creeps in at every turn and helps the charm of
the hour. Here are niggers and tumblers, happy families and performing
monkeys, wise dogs and trained canaries, each with its own circle of ad-
mirers, yet with plenty of room to spare. The crowd is not a host ; it is the
great London exodus, which for so many months in each year nestles by
the side of the sea, and finds abundance of space for all it requires on these
splendid wide-spreading sands. Here is the pale-faced governess, who has
saved out of her scanty income that she may rest in tranquillity for a season,

2S0 _^

Ramsgate.

and as she dozes over the pages of her novel she gathers fresh strength for
her next year's labour. The crisp laughter that echoes around her stirs the
blood in her veins, and wakens again dreams of hope that have been too
long stilled. Here is that prosperous grocer's wife, with her brood of chicks,
smiling in her good-natured contentment at each and every one, smoothing
away difficulties, caressing all by turn, and looking a very- pleasant fat, fair,
and forty. Here also is that poor curate whose face tells the fierce struggle
between gentility and want. The memories of old college days still haunt
him, despite his rusty black, and he laughs once again at the mimicry of the
latest imitation of the Christy Minstrels. The donkeys participate in the

KA.MjGAIL.

enjoyment of the hour, for their tails wag incessantly, like the pendulums in
a Dutch clockmaker's shop. Around and at every step the motto bursts
forth — " Live, live and be merry, for to-morrow we go back to our work."

This is life on the sands : it is the arena for holiday joking, for buoyancy
and forgetfulness. Above it floats another atmos|)here and another stratum
of society. From its 'vantage-ground on the high cliff, rich respectability
looks across the wide expanse of sea, imbibes the soft air, and finds
abundance of enjoyment in the ever-recurring changes, the comparison of
the latest fashions, or the sting of satire in the criticism of its neighbours.
On a bench near the Granville are a be\y of well-bred women convulsed
with laughter as that puppyism of the seaside season, Martinet Mary and
her tame lap-dog, come trippingly by. The poodle knows his j)lace, and
submissively accepts the second position. His "get up" is faultless, his
suit perfect in fit and unequivocal in style : — bluest of the blue, straw hat
and green veil, eye-glass in position, patent leather boots, and white gaiters;
the.-e, with other items, constitute this mimicry of a sailor. Smirking m

28 I

ri^ tjtr^

^ Rauisgatc. ^

his satisfied self-sufificiency, carrying his lady's parasol, he affords the point
for a joke and the topic for an hour. Close behind come a troop of young
English girls, bright, honest, and happy; their brilliant complexions speak
well for the freshness of our climate. Bravely and royally they sweep by,
carrying in undiminished fullness that priceless gift of peerless beauty. Hei e,
too, is that rich young widow who but a few years ago was the acknow-
ledged star of the London season ; to-day she looks with saddened eyes into
the far-off. In the immediate neighbourhood are concert halls and croquet
lawns, broad walks for loitering, and points of view for sketching, all scattered
abroad in open-handed profusion. So moves the kaleidoscope : wealth,
fashion, and eccentricity pass to and fro on the high level, and keep well
within their own circle.

Ramsgate has greatly changed within the last few years. Step outside
the railway station, and, turning to the left, look straight up that road which
runs up the side of the cliff. It is probably the best of its kind in Europe.
In its lower portion, the " Marina," the shops and houses look as though
they had crept out from the chalk. Tasteful in design, keenly perceptive
of everyday uses, they harmonize admirably with their surroundings. In
their front and in their midst are broad walks and shrubs, cacti and ever-
greens ; the whole suggesting possibilities in the future greater than have
yet been attempted. Mount the road, and when you reach the top, a slight
distance on your right stands the Granville Hotel. As a mere matter of
architectural arrangement, combined with position, it is beyond all question
exceptionally good. To this has now been added arrangements with the
railway companies, that will tend to bring it into still further repute. Some
short distance along the face of the cliff is the Coast Guard Station, and the
old " salt" who perambulates the front will point out in the offing the far-
famed and much-dreaded Goodwin Sands. As the wind rises the line of
white foam will indicate their whereabouts, whilst the light-ships anchored
at either end will indicate their locality. Each year has its catalogue of
wrecks and of the numbers who perish there. From the Coast Guard
Station the road stretches along the cliffs, and then turns inland towards
Broadstairs and St. Peter's. At low tide there is a safe and pleasant walk
along the foot of the cliffs : care should be taken to allow plenty of time, as
when the tide is up the whole beach is covered by the sea. One of the
most curious facts which can be observed in connection with the walk along
the front of the cliffs, is the way in which the flints lie imbedded. They
extend for considerable distances, and oftentimes in distinct parallels.

Turning the other wa}', mount the west cliff, and pause, if only for a
minute, at the monastery which was built near its extreme end under the
care of J. W. Pugin. There is an air of quiet rest about its appearance that
is curiously tempting to men on whom the strain of constant anxiety has
produced the sense of utter weariness. Near this spot the main road runs
direct to Pegvvell Bay, celebrated for its shrimps, and as a locality which it
is considered proper to visit.

282

CANTERBURY.

Dating its foundation before the advent of the Romans, this quaint and
venerable old city possesses many historical associations of no mean nature.
It is very pleasantly situated in a vnlley, and is surrounded by some charm-
ing country scenery.

The Cathedral, an engraving of which we annex, naturally claims the
tourist's first visit. Passing through Mercery Lane, in which is the site of
the " Checiuers Inn," mentioned by Chaucer in his " Canterbury Tales,"
and on through a fine gateway, we reach the grand old Gothic fane. Sup-
posed to have owed its foundation to St. Augustine, it has hitherto passed
witliout irretrievable damage through many vicissitudes, and now, after the

■-3

iUy -7^ :>^' - -

~>f tiT-ffigSjginit< in'

lA,\ ILKliL KV lAIIU.UKAL.

lapse of centuries, rears its majestic pile, a dumb witness to the piety of our
ancestors. The Pointed style of architecture finds a representative in the
great — Bell Harry Tower — one of the most beautiful specimens in England.
Passing into the cathedral, there are numerous objects of interest, and
among them we would specially draw attention to the shrine of Thomas i
Becket, murdered in this cathedral. Tliough shorn of its jewels and
splendour, the very knowledge that formerly kings, princes, and thousands
of the highest and noblest in the land came to its altar to do penance,
attracts us irresistibly to the spot.

The niins of the ancient monastery of St. Augustine claim passing notice.
The devil is said to have attacked the chapel attached to this buiUling when
Mass was first celebrated in it by the founder, apparently not relishing the
idea of being compelled to give up even temporary possession. The marks
of his talons on the wall of the porch are shown as conclusive testimony of
the truth of the story.

'*^i

DOVER.

There are various points of view from which Dover may be studied; but
there is none so picturesque as that from the far end of the Admiralty Pier,
or, better still, from the sea itself a mile or two from the shore. As the
Channel boat approaches the English coast, the great natural beauty of the
sea-gate town impresses itself vividly upon all cultivated minds. Its
position in the hollow between the two cliffs is strikingly effective, whilst
the church spire rising from the mass of houses, with the soft tone of the
surrounding hills forming an appropriate background, gives to the whole view
a perfect finish. Under the rich light of a sinking summer's sun the walls
of the old Castle and the lights and shades of the battlements gleam with
tints that Turner would have flung with passionate zest upon his canvas.
As the fast-flying glow sinks lower on the horizon, the white cliffs become
radiant with every variety of colour : deep purple-greys melt into full tinted
ambers, and shade off into rich-toned browns. When thus seen, few
views are more splendid than Dover heights and Dover town. With certain
modifications of detail, this splendid natural picture has stood for thousands
of years. Before Christianity was preached in England, the legions of Rome
landed at the spot, and built up the fortifications whose outlines are visible
still on the chalk cUff heights. Near here Julius Cssar landed, and since
that time Saxon, Norman, and Plantagenet have each laid their hand on
this front gate of the main route to the Continent. William the Conqueror
raised Dover into the position of one of the Cinque Ports. At Dover King
John resigned his kingdom to the Pope's Legate in 1213. From this town
Richard Coeur de Leon started to fight against the Saracens. Here also
Henry VIH. embarked for the tournaments at the Field of the Cloth of
Gold, and it was also at Dover that Charles IL landed when he returned
to his throne. The town is filled with historical memories from its natural
position and association with France.

At one portion of its history Dover represented a walled town with ten
gates, one of which, the Watergate, sufiiciently indicates its locality. At that
period the River Dour flowed through the town into the sea, and thus the
gate took its name. The growth of the town has caused all the walls to be
removed, and their locality is now indicated by names of streets and other
local marks.

One of the most memorable points in connection with Dover is the world-
famed Shakespeare's Clift". The last tunnel before reaching Dover is cut
through it, and on a clear day a magnificent view of the South Foreland*
Folkestone, and the coast of France can be obtained from its summit. Its
height is 365 feet above the sea-level.

The ranges of cliffs are respectively named the East and West Cliffs ;
both are strongly fortified. On the East Clifl" is situated Dover Castle,
whose rugged outlines stand out in vivid distinctness from the heights them-
selves. On the top of the cliff is North Fall Meadow, immediately behind
the Castle, and to which entrance is obtained through the tunnel, by ascend-
ing the cliff above Athol Terrace. Close to the Castle is the old Watch
Tower built by the Romans, the remains of which are in good preservation

i ^'* k

,H, ,!;p^>i"v;(i;ii

, >

iiHii: ! . I

Doveir

Here also is the old church — St. Mary's-within-thc-Castle, said to be one
of the oldest structures in existence, and attributed to the first century. It
was restored in i860 by the Government, and now boasts of a good choir,
an elaborate altaj-, and a beautiful font. Referring to the Castle itself, the
westward portion is attributed to the Saxons, whilst the erection of the Keep
undoubtedly belongs to the Normans. Many of the internal arrangements
are strongly suggestive of the old state of warfare. The Banqueting Hall is
peculiar by having at its angles secret galleries, with separate outlets and
special means of defence. In the Castle also is the so-called Harold's Well,
renowned on account of its great depth — some 300 feet. Here also is the
Lecture-Room, where may be seen great varieties of weapons, both ancient
and modern. To reach the summit of the Keep it is necessary to ascend a
winding staircase which consists of 135 steps ; on reaching the top the great
strength of this particular portion of the old forcification becomes apparent.
Heavy guns are mounted in the embrasures ; but one cannot help feeling
some sort of doubt as to how far such a structure is fitted to bear the con-
cussion and recoil of heavy ordnance, not having been constructed for such
a purpose. On the edge of the clift" is the far-famed Pocket-Pistol of Queen
Elizabeth, a gun 24 feet long and bored to carry a 12 lb. shot. The ordinary
rendering of the motto engraved on the cannon is — •

" Load me well and keep me clean,
I '11 send a ball to Calais Green."

The original inscription is in Low German. The Castle and fortifications
are open to visitors every day till sunset.

Another point of interest in connection with Dover is the Priory. Only
a few relics now remain of this once magnificent pile. The ancient gateway
still remains. On passing through are seen the ruins of an old wall, which
seems to have belonged to the cloisters. A large building restored in 187 1
is used as a class-room for Dover College. There is a fresco of the " Last
Supper " which extends the whole length of the wall : it is remarkable from
the fact that it contains fourteen figures in place of the usual number, thir-
teen. In the immediate neighbourhood is the old cliurch of Buchland,
originally built by the monks of the Priory : it is one of the most beautiful
in the neiglibourhood. Outside the west door stands an ancient yew-tree,
to which tradition gives the mythical longevity of 1,000 years. Originally the
old church and its surrounding buildings occupied a space of nearly 20 acres.

It is well to remember that there .-re si.N; entrances to the western heights
or clift", but that the principal one for the public is by the Grand Shaft in
Snargate Street.

Dover is renowned as a fashionable watering-place. This, no doubt, is
due to its pleasant position on the Southern Coast, its splendid heights, and
its capital bathing. To these enticements may be added the charm ot
military surroundings, and the constant passage through the town of those
who pass to and from the Continent. Like other places of great natural
advantages, it gains by being well known.

286

--^^^J^

ACROSS TO FRANCE.

THE MIDDLE PASSAGE.

The London Chatham and Dover Railway is the most direct route
between London and Paris ; the sea-passage is decided!)- the shortest, and
the whole distance is covered in 9s hours. There are two Royal Mail ser-
vices daily from London, leaving Victoria Station at 7.40 a.m. and 8.20 p.m.
The Company have three London Stations — Ludgate. Holborn Viaduct,
and Victoria. On reference to the time-tables of the Company, it will also
be found that Chatham, Canterbury, Dover, Ramsgate, Margate, &c., are
more easily and more expeditiously reached by this line than by any other,
there being numerous express trains to those towns during the day,

There is no problem of greater interest in the journey from London to
Paris than that of the Channel voyage from Dover to Calais. On a clear
night the lights on the Foreland flash across the twenty miles of water, and
are clearly visible in the French port. The question that rises uppermost
is, How can we pass over this distance without the dreaded sea-sickness?
Every kind of suggestion lias been offered, from suspension bridges to rail-
way trains on board the boats. At the present time a scientific commission
is gravely discussing the question of a tunnel under the sea, like that which
runs under the Thames. Others have proposed that huge piers should be
built in the sea, and a regular railway bridge stretched from shore to shore,
like that which spans the Menai Straits. Many of these questions belong
to tlie regions of speculation or the possibilities of the far future. The more
practical question is — How can we reduce to a minimum the amount of
motion on the steamboats that ply from shore to shore? because by so
doing we naturally reduce the liability to nausea.

The London Chatham and Dover Railway Company have endeavoured
to meet the difficulty by the introduction of the new double boat called the
Calais-Douvres, and it is worth a little trouble to understand the principles
upon which it has been constructed. One of the main difficulties of a
pleasant passage from shore to shore is the exceedingly shallow entrance to
Calais Harbour at low tide; and in the case of a fi.\ed service all the arrange-
ments must be based upon that standard. A small boat with a small draught
of water is of necessity acted upon by every wave, and though they may be
splendid sea-boats, and buoyant as ducks on the water, their very buoyancy
renders them too lively for those who are not good sailors. If Calais Har-
bour could be deepened and enlarged, so as to admit of much larger boats
being used, the mere increase of size would diminish the motion. That
being for the present impossible, the question is— How can the same result
be obtained without greater draught ot water? The answer is, greater
breadth of beam combined with tighter grip of the water. A homely simile

k3r* . tf^^j

This Map of P.russels is divided into lOO squares. The number affixed to name of ear

Cathedral St. Michel .. .. 64

Custom House 37

General Post Office . . 45

Hofital St. Jean 66

HuTEL DE ViLLE ..
JaRDIN DE BOTANIQUE

Jardin Zoologiqve ..
King's Palace

Museum of Antiquities ..
Palais de Justice (Old)
Palais de Justice (New)
Palais Ducal ,

ace in subjoined list, denotes the position of the square such place occupies on the ^fap.

5 5 7 8

BRUSSELS.—

SCALE,* ENGUSH MILE.

—I 5 1

'alms pe la Nation .. 74

'"ation du llxembocrg. . 82

ATioN Di; Midi 12

i'ATION DU NoRO 57

Theatkk hes Vakiet^s .. .. 47

Theatre dv Pakk 74

The-^tke LvRiyi'E 58

Theatre Ruval 55

Theatke MoijtKB 62

The Hoi'RSE 34

The Mint
Vai xmall

»^-i5 e^^

The Middle Passage. Q

will illustrate this : a barge will have less motion on a sea-way than a cutter
of the same size, for the barge has a larger base, and consequently greater
solidity. 'J'he form of the barge, however, is unfitted for the conditions of
s])eed and handincss, essential elements in the Channel steamers ; and
therefore the whole (juestion has to be considered from the point where
these qualities are united. Any one who has watched the long narrow boats
on our canals, will have noticed very frequently that two may be seen
floating side by side, joined together into one vessel, retaining their indi-
vidual qualities for speed, and obtaining greater solidity by their mutual
support. The boats under these conditions typify in a broad way the prin-
ciple of the Calais-Uouvres. In the case of the new Channel steamer the
conditions are structural and permanent, whilst in the case of the canal boats
they are merely temporary.

It may be that the future still holds some further development ot a prin-
ciple of which the Calais-Douvres is a fair example, and that a more perfect
boat may yet be provided ; but so far as facts have yet gone, the new twin
steamer is the nearest approach to the standard which struggles to com-
bine speed, light draught of water, and great steadiness. She has proved
herself a capital sea-boat in moderately heavy weather, and there appears
every probability that she will justify the high opinions that have been ex-
pressed of her staying qualities.

The size of the Calais-Douvres is as follows : —

Length ..... 330 feet.

Greatest breadth . . . . 62 ,,

Draught of water . . . . 8 ,,

She possesses engines of 700 horse-power nominal, and capable of being
worked up to more than 4,000 horse-power. Her speed is greater than any
of the smaller boats, and on a late occasion, with the wind blowing heavily
from the W.S.W., accomplished the journev in less time than the Maid of
Kent, which has hitherto been considered one of the best boats in the
service. It is believed that when she appears for next year's work the
Calais-Douvres will be able to accomplish the journey, under favourable
conditions, in little more than the hour. If this be achieved, the question
of the Channel Tunnel will practically be at an end. She is constmcted to
carry 1,000 passengers, and can attain a speed of more than fifteen miles
per hour. There are four diflerent saloons, one containing seven roomy
private cabins, luxuriously fitted with sofas and tables. These can be secured
in advance at London or Paris. The upper deck extends across both
vessels, whilst through a wooden grating in the middle can be seen the spray
thrown up by the w'orking paddle-wheels. All honour is due to the Com-
pany which has practically solved the question of the middle passage.

The view which we have engraved is produced from one that originally
appeared in the pages of the '• Illustrated London News," and the right to
use it in its present form has with great courtesy been placed at our disposal
by the proprietors of that journal.

200

li'iijll, iHiifcilNliill'M''': ii' '

-s5=tr^

CALAIS.

" Let every craft that carries sail and gun steer towards Calais."

Tennyson — Queen Mary.

Calais, the last British possession in PYance, the loss of which made an
English queen utter her memorable lamentation that after her death the
word "Calais" would be found graven upon her heart, is best known
to travellers in modern days in connection with the Royal Mail service
to Paris by the route of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway Com-
pany. Its harbour has, from time to time, been improved, and consists
of a quay and of piers that stretch into the sea, and — like the ramparts
round the town — form an agreeable promenade. One of the most striking
objects is the pillar erected to commemorate the return of Louis XVIII. to
France, on which was formerly written the inscription : " Le 24 A\Til, 18 14,
S.M. Louis XVIII. debarqua vis-a-vis de cette Colonne et fut enfin rendu k
I'amour des Fran^ais ; pour en perpetuer le souvenir la ville de Calais a
eleve ce monument."' A plate of brass was fixed on the exact spot where
the King first stepped ashore; but, at the Revolution of 1830, both plate
and inscription were effaced.

Some objects of interest in Calais remain that will reward the visit of the
English traveller. The principal gate was built in 1635 by Cardinal
Richelieu. The Hotel de Guise will revive some historic memories " as
having been the place where Henry VIII. lodged, and as being the original
building where was established the guildhall of the Mayor and Corpora-
tion of the ' Staple of Wool,' founded in 1363 by Edward III." The
Hotel de Ville or Town Hall, situated in the market-place, contains the
public ofifices. The front is ornamented with busts of St. Pierre, of the
Duke of Guise, and of Cardinal de Richelieu. It is surmounted by a
belfrv containing a chime of bells. The tower and steeple of the principal
church, built when Calais belonged to England, deser\-e attention. Im-
mediately behind the choir is a modern circular chapel. The church itself
is a fine structure, in the early Gothic style.

The lower town- — hassc-ville — presents a lively scene on a fete day.
Calais on one side is surrounded by sand-hills. The inhabitants are chiefly
engaged in the herring and cod fishery trade. Imixiense numbers of eggs
are exported from hence to England.

BRUSSELS.

Brussels is the capital of the kingdom of Belgium, the residence of the
King, and one of the most beautiful cities of Europe. It is built partly on an
acclivity that was formerly covered by the Forest of Soignies, and partly on
a plain intersected by the River Senne. The appearance and habits of
Brussels ha\-e won for it the name of " the miniature Paris."' The upper
part is the home of the well-to-do classes ; the lower is occupied by the
poorer people. In the old town the thoroughfares are narrow, and many
of the houses are of the ancient Flemish order ; but the fortifications that

292

"eJ^

Brussels.

formerly surrounded the city have been removed, and the spaces are covered
by magnificent boulevards lined with avenues of stately trees.

Tl>e Grande Place, in the old quarter of the town, is the picturesque
centre of the historical interest of Brussels. It is surrounded by ancient
guild-houses, now used as shops; and the associations that cluster around
them are cherished by citizens who are proud of the institutions of their
ancestors. The Hotel de Ville, which stands in this square, is one of the
municipal palaces of Brussels, and also one of the finest specimens of
Gothic architecture in Europe. It is said that in this building the Duchess

■r-'.|ffl|HHrtj''r^:^^'^'

mm 'i^msPMm^mB.

-jt*a

HolEL DE VU.l.K.

of Richmond gave the ball the night before the Battle of ^^'aterloo, which
Byron describes in his memorable lines commencing with the words : —

" There was a sound of revelry by night,
And Belgium's capital had gathered then
Her beauty and her chivalry, and bright
The lamps shone o'er fair women and brave men."

Opposite the Hotel de Ville is the Maison du Roi, built in 15 15, in
which the Counts Egmont and Horn passed the night before their execu-
tion in the Grand Square, which was witnessed from a window by Alva,
who had ordered their death.

The Cathedral Church of St. Gudule is the finest building in Brussels.
The exterior has in late years been carefully restored. I ts painted glass is said
to be the most beautiful in the world. Among the more remarkable objects
in the church is the pulpit of Verbruggen, which, in sculi)ture of life-si/e,
represents the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden ; the tree of know-
ledge supports the pulpit. Milton's sublime poem is depicted in ci)itome.

293

■»5=^~^

BriLsscls.

The Chapel of the Holy Sacrament, on the right of the high altar, is rich in
monuments and marbles. Rubens furnished the plan of the altar-piece.

The Allee V»rte is nearly a mile and a half in length. It is planted with
rows of old and lofty linden trees, and is a favourite and fashionable resort.
The Botanic Garden is said to surpass every other in Europe except that
of Paris ; it is specially attractive in the evening, when the concerts are
performed. In the Palace of Justice is the celebrated picture of the "Abdi-
cation of Charles V." The Place des Martyres is one of the most beautiful
squares in Brussels. In the middle is a fine monument, by Geefs, in

BOVIWSL BRUSSlL'i. '^?^^S^

memory of the three hundred " braves Beiges ' who were killed in the revo-
lution of 1830. A sort of subterranean square runs round the monument,
in which the slain were interred, their names being inscribed on slabs
of black and white marble.

The most characteristic manufacture of Belgium is its lace, concerning
which much that is interesting might be told. Each of the lace-making
towns excels in the production of one particular description of lace — each
has what is technically called its own point or stitch, the mode of making
which is transmitted from mother to daughter through successive genera-
tions ; and certain points have thus been unchangeably fixed in particular
localities. Thus there is the point de Malines, or Mechlin lace, ihc point
de Valenciennes, and the rich and costly point de Brnxelles, reser\'ed for
bridal and court dresses. It is affirmed that the spinning of the thread
used for this lace-making is an operation which none but Belgian fingers
can perform. The very finest sort of thread is made in Brussels in damp
underground cellars, for it is liable to break by contact with the dry air
above ground. The flax is as " costly as gold."

294

rms-

FIELD OF WATERLOO.

The visit to ihe Field of Waterloo used to form a i^leasant journey by
coach ; now we can go either by coach or railway. Many prefer the former.
"Starting from the Montague de la Cour to Waterloo we have almost an
exact copy of the route from the Place de la Concorde in Paris to St. Cloud.
We cross the Boulevard de Waterloo and pass along the Rue Louise, that
corresponds to the Avenue of the Champs Elysees, till we reach a large
circular place that represents the Place de TEtoile, minus the Arc de
Triomphe ; then along the Chaussee de Waterloo, that answers to the
Avenue de I'lmperatrice ; and then the beautifully arranged Bois de la
Cambre, with its shady walks and handsome carriage drives, that bears a
strong resemblance to the Bois de Boulocne."

The road from Brussels to Waterloo lies, for the greater part, through the
Forest of Soignies, which abounds in fine timber, lakes, vales, brooks, ham-
lets, and cultivated plains. Immediately on leaving the Forest we reach
the village of Waterloo, where, on the 17th June, 1S15, tlie Duke of Welling-
ton established his headfjuarters. In the modest church are marble tablets
inscribed with names of English officers and men who fell on the field. The
house also is pointed out where the Duke wrote his despatches. Horses
are changed at Mont St. Jean, and a guide is taken up who conducts the
visitor. From the summit of the Mont du Lion, two hundred feet high, the
various points of historic interest may be descried : the windmill from which
the approach of Blucher and the Prussians was first seen, the farm of La
Haye Sainte, La Belle Alliance, and the Chateau of Hougoumont.

The traveller who would prefer the railway route is advised to book to
Braine I'Alleud, not to Waterloo. A fly meets every train at this place, which
is, however, in easy walking distance from the Hotel de Musee, at the foot
of the mound. This is really the chief point of interest, where the struggle
took place, as Waterloo was only the base of operations of the English, and
is situated two miles nearer lirussels.

295

^5^

^D:t5 '^5tri

/'■*

T^HE TIDAL ROUTE.

Few railways have undergone such entire transformation as the South-
Eastern. A few years since its main station was at London Bridge, and its
main route through Redhill Junction ; to-day it has one terminus at Charing
Cross, in the heart of the West-end, and another terminus at Cannon Street,
in the heart of City life, whilst these termini themselves are bound together
by that small loop which twice crosses the Thames within the space of two
miles. As a mere matter of engineering skill, the work appeals strongly to
those who are capable of appreciating tlie difficulties that have been over-
come, whilst the stations themselves — broad, open, and simple — are grand
in their entire unity of effect. With the same directness of thought, the
divergence from the old route is characterized by equal simplicity and equal
value. If any one will take a map, he will see at a glance how the new
line, by way of Chislehurst and Sevenoaks, turns neither to the right hand
nor left, but flies straight as an arrow to the Tunbridge Junction. The result
is great saving in distance and greater capacity for speed. Along that
road, well laid and well kept, the Tidal Train flies at the rate of nearly a
mile a minute, and practically brings Folkestone within ninety minutes of
London. The route is one of the most beautiful in England. As a start-
ing-point, the best site from which to see London itself is the Surrey side
of the Charing Cross Railway Bridge ; within view are all the most salient
and all the most celebrated aspects of London. The river itself sweeps
round in an arc, at one end of which are the Houses of Parliament, with
Westminster Bridge and Abbey, and at the other end, towering in lonely
grandeur, is the dome of St. Paul's.

Between these two points the whole face of the river frontage is alive with
objects of interest or beauty. At one point it is the sweep of the Embank-
ment, broken by the foliage of the Public Gardens ; at another it is the
splendid facade of Somerset House, relieved by the outline of Waterloo
Bridge ; w^hilst at another the Cleopatra Needle arrests attention by its faint
red hue ; but wherever seen, or however criticized, the view itself is vigorous
and effective. f>iually so as the train pushes onward in its course. From
Charing Cross it runs into Cannon Street, to join the section which awaits
its arrival. A few minutes sufiice to send the Tidal Train on its way. With
smooth but rapid pace it passes through the dense neighbourhood of Ber-
mondsey, where the closely-packed life of labouring London is open to every-
day view, through New Cross and Grove Park, until it reaches that belt of
hill, beneath which it passes with a whistling scream, and then once more
into the open. Lnmediatcly beyond the first tunnel lies Chislc-hurst, noted
as the place where Napoleon HL lived in exile, and almost ecjually famous
for its great natural beauty. Still pressing onward, the train passes through
Knockholt and Sevenoaks, the first known for its Beeches, the last renowned
for its Knowle Park and its widely diversified and charming sylvan scenery.
Then onward to Tunbridge Junction, through the hop-gardens ot Kent,
where the festoons hang in rich lu.xuriance ; onward through scenery which

297 1

15^5

r^t^ .5.^^

^ The Tidal Route. %

L3^

has won for this county the name of The Garden of England ; onward
through tunnels that are bored into those chalk hills that form the outlying
spurs of the far-famed South Downs. Thus, with smooth flying pace, it nears
Folkestone Junction; then comes a pause, a swift reversal, the train glides
backwards down the descent, through the remnants of an old fishing village,
and draws up gently and quietly at the station, by the side of the boat for
Folkestone, and in the midst of pleasant and fashionable company. In the
immediate neighbourhood are those quiet and agreeable but rapidly rising
places of resort. Deal and Hythe, Sandgate and Sandwich; whilst scattered
over the whole route are those charming localities for which England is
famous.

Men cling with a tender craving to those scenes of beauty connected with
inland places or seaside districts, which render English life at once so plea-
sant and so healthful. To all such it is worth remembering that on the route
of the South-Eastern Railway lie scattered Tunbridge Wells and Canterbury,
Dover and Hastings, Ramsgate and Margate. Diversified in aspect as are
these different localities, they but change the temptations by appealing to
varying natures and different constitutions. One thought that comes upper-
most is this : Why should our forefathers have chosen inland places for
their health resorts? To them Bath, Cheltenham, or Tunbridge were the
centres of social existence, and the true foci of health-preserving power.
To drink the waters was to them what seaside outing is lo ourselves. It
implied a faith in the preservative power of change. This fondness for
inland resorts was i)robably aided by the sense of security which was asso-
ciated therewith.

These facts explain why Tunbridge Wells, Bath, or Cheltenham were the
fashionable resorts of the past. Circumstances changed, and men's tastes
changed with them. The advent of peace found the Prince Regent an habitue
of Brighton, and from that time to this seaside places have risen into pro-
minence; whilst inland resorts have remained comparatively stationary. The
fashion appears to be setting once more inland. Tunbridge Wells is acquiring
an exceptional reputation, whilst Sevenoaks and Chislehurst are becoming
more highly estimated day by day. Some explanation of this may be found in
the fact that the great world of business has come to the conclusion that it
has a right to express an opinion upon the question, and the opinion which
it has expressed is for a country house within moderate distance of town.
Any one who would wish to see how thoroughly this is true, cannot do
better than go to Cannon Street Station about five o'clock of a summer
afternoon, and watch the whirl of life which it will present. It is the exodus
of London business life setting homeward towards these great centres of
inland beauty. In a more special sense, as the summer approaches the
holiday folk drift towards the sea. Ramsgate and Margate become alive
with the teeming multitudes who, year by year, rest for a brief period within
the influence of tl>e strong sea air. and who believe that by so doing they
strengthen their energies for the toil of the remaining months.

293

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CHISLEHURST.
On one of the most beautiful commons in Kent, covered with heather
and furze, surrounded by magnificent trees, and about three hundred feet
above the sea, is the stony hurst or wood of Chislehurst — the Wood of the
Stony Hill. Pleasant villas and stately mansions stand around an ample
green, and from the crest of the sandstone hill look far and wide over the
surrounding country. "All about are masses of noble trees, no saplings or
stunted dwarfs, but forest kings, whose stately crowns have defied the
assaults of many a stormy winter, and sprung into fresh beauty beneath
many a summer's sun." Near the church are the remains of an ancient
cock-pit ; here also, probably, the maypole stood. The Church, dedicated

LA.MDKN IIOUM:, Cll Ibl.l-.llLKST.

to St. Nicholas, is picturesque: the style is chiefly Perpendicular; the spire

is lofty and graceful. Some of the memorials are of unusual interest. In the

south aisle is the mural tablet of Sir Philip Warwick, '"an acceptable servant

of Charles I. in all his extremities, and a faithful one to King Charles II.,"

his closing years were passed in this neighbourhood. Sir Francis Walsing-

ham, the Elizabethan statesman, was born at Chislehurst. The tomb of his

fiimily is at the end of the north aisle. Over the arch dividing it from the

nave are the cognizances of Edward IV. — a falcon and a stirrup, and of

Henry VHI. — the rose and crown.

Camden Place — around which have gathered so many associations of

])athetic interest — was formerly the residence of a famous antiquary, Camden,

of whom Ben Jonson says :

" . . . Most reverend head, to whom I owe
All that I am in arts, all that I know ; —
How nothing's that ! — to whom my country owes
The great renown and name wlierewith she goes."

Camden purchased it 1609, and is said here to have written "Annals of
Queen Elizabeth." He was interred in Westminster Abbey.

299 -2

SEVENOAKS,

Sevenoaks received its pleasant name from seven oak-trees which once
stood conspicuous on the eminence on which the town is built. Seven
younger trees on the Tunbridge Road are traditionally said to represent their
ancient ancestors. At the eastern end of Sevenoaks, and in the midst of
fine and varied scenery, are the ancient manor-house and park of Knowle.
The park gates are nearly opposite the church. We pass through groves
of noble trees, over undulating ground, where the deer are feeding or are
lying half-hidden in the deep fern ; and, at length, climbing a gentle eleva-
tion, catch sight of the mansion, with a wide stretch of open park in front
of it. "The park," wrote Walpole, "is sweet, with much old beech." It

Li^^

KNOWLE HOUSE.

contains i,ooo acres. Knowle House is of imposing proportions. The
principal front includes a lofty central Gate-House, embattled, and having
square towers at the angles. The chief buildings form a spacious quad-
rangle ; they occupy an area of more than three acres. The Great Hall is
75 feet long, 27 feet broad, and 27 feet high, with a flat roof. The fireplace
at the side contains a pair of fire-dogs which bear the arms and initials of
Henry VIH. and Anne Boleyn, and were brought from Hever Castle, the
early home of the unfortunate Queen, The Brown Gallery is 88 feet long,
with oaken floor, roof, and panels ; the walls are crowded with portraits, and
the windows ablaze with coloured glass. The chamber of Lady Betty Ger-
maine contains tapestry and portraits. The Ball-Room has panelled walls,
surmounted by a curious frieze, profusely wrought. The Crimson Drawing-
Room contains the best pictures in the house. The Cartoon Gallery has
six copies in oil of Raffaelle's celebrated cartoons at Hampton Court. The
King's Bed-Room, prepared for James I., cost ^20,000. The Dining-Roora
is hung with portraits of literary men.

300

TUNBRID&E WELLS.
While the great majority of our holiday and healtli-seekers flock annually
to the seaside, it is left to inland watering-places to satisfy the requirements
of those who prefer inland enjoyments and surroundings or are scarcely strong
enough to indulge in sea-bathing. Ot these inland watering-places Tun-
bridge Wells has certainly been the most popular, and is now the most
tliriving. The Chalybeate Springs were accidentally discovered by a dissi-
pated young nobleman in 1606, and the curative properties of the water
having effected a most remarkable improvement in his health, large numbers
were attracted to the spot, and the town of " Tunbridge Wells " sprang into
existence.

'Vi'MV^t ]

At seaside places the shore is generally the centre of attraction, — at Tun-
bridge Wells the " Common " is the place of fashionable resort, while the
shady " Grove " offers a pleasant retreat from the scorching heat of a sultry
summer's day. The motto upon the entrance gate, Silva quam dilcda, will
by most visitors be deemed an appropriate one. Amusements of all descrip-
tions, both in and outdoor, are sufficiently numerous to drive dull care
away without rendering a prolonged stay ns arduous as a London season,
while the numberless excursions available amidst the magnificent surround-
ing scenery will occupy a considerable period.

''l^-

MARGATE.

Many a family man hears with inward groans, as each annually recurring
holiday season approaches, the question, — Where shall we go this year?
Before he is in a position to answer it, sanitary statistics pertaining to this
or that seaside town are attentively examined, and inquiry made of friends
as to the relative merits or demerits of each. Oftener than otherwise the
difficulty is solved and further trouble avoided by selecting Margate, known,
appreciated, and visited by thousands of Londoners, the majority of whom
are usually not particularly enamoured of seaside quiet and retirement.
They are perfectly well aware that at Margate, with its bustle and excite-

ment, its wide-spreading sands, and its apartments suiting all pockets, they
and their families will find that thorough change from the ordinary dull
routine of city life so absolutely essential for their physical well-being. As it
is somewhat more exposed than Ramsgate, it is generally cooler in summer,
and its bracing air imparts fresh vigour to mind and body. For those City
toilers who require perfect rest and retirement we should not recommend
Margate, nor, indeed, would we deem it a desirable spot for those suffering
from deep-rooted affections of the chest and lungs. A less lively place
would probably be preferred by the former, and the latter might consider
that the air was too strong for them in their enfeebled condition. On a
fine summer's day the glorious wide-spreading sands are literally covered
with little ones and their guardians, enjoying that freedom from restraint
rarely attainable except at the seaside.

The facilities for bathing are ample, and the attendance leaves nothing
to be desired ; and for lovers of pleasure we may add that generally during
the Margate season the town is visited by the best theatrical talent from
London, and entertainments, balls, etc., given at the Assembly Rooms.

302

RAMSGATE.

Like many another seaside town, Ramsgate was a mere fishing village at
the close of the last century, but its unequalled sands once discovered, con-
stantly increasing crowds came hither by sea and railway as the season for
London's annual migration arrived.

The Pier, which involved a large expenditure of capital, forms a good
promenade more than half a mile long. Ascending the Augusta Stairs, or
Jacob's Ladder, we reach the summit of the cliffs, and from the extensive
sward obtain a beautiful view of the sea and tlie numberless vessels generally
dotting its broad bosom. The Goodwin Sands, popularly supposed to repre-

i;ams. . \ I r

sent the submerged estates of Earl Godwin, he some short distance off the
shore, and extend as far as the Downs themselves. The harbour contains
an area of nearly fifty acres.

Baths and bathing machines are numerous and comfortable, and the
varied scene presented by the sands on a genial summer's day, with a rising
tide, goes far to account for the enthusiasm generally displayed by an
habitual frequenter when the name of Ramsgate is mentioned.

Without a trip to Pegwell Bay a visit to Ramsgate would be incomplete ;
and Broadstairs, a rising place of seaside resort, should not be forgotten.

This town and its sister Margate represent those seaside places which, in
their wisdom, graduate their charges according to the position and rerjuire-
ments of frequenters, and we mny safely add that rich and poor may here
find accommodation suited to their respective purses.

Broadstairs, about two miles from Ramsgate, is much frequented by
families who prefer its comparative quiet to the bustle and crowds of its
neighbours.

303

}Z9-

HASTINGS AND ST. LEONARDS.

It has been frequently asserted that the air at Hastings has a relaxing
tendency; but competent authorities have proved that for consumptive
patients the effect of a residence here is most invigorating. We, on our
part, simply speak from actual experience, when we say that it would be
very difficult to find a place of seaside resort where the picturescjue and
charming views of the interior are combined with the usual attractions ot
the seaside to such a marked extent.

The historical past claims special notice, Battle Abbey in the neighbour-
hood being the spot where the Saxon King Harold staked England's future

ST. LEONARDS-ON-SEA.

on the issue of a single battle, and lost. Hastings Castle, nearly a thousand
years old, should be visited, it only to secure the magnificent view to be
obtained from the summit of the hill. Bathing is provided for by numerous
comfortable bathing machines, and the wide expanse of shelving beach
forms a perfect Paradise for children. At stated hours the band plays on
the pier, the fashionable place of resort ; and the visitor should not fail to
make himself acquainted with the local fishermen and their Dutch auctions,
while a small donation will enable the adventurous to accompany them on
one of their fishing excursions.

In the neighbourhood of Hastings, Pevense}', with its Castle, claims a
visit; while Hurstmonceux and Bodiam, with their magnificent and beauti-
fully situated Castles, should on no account be neglected.

304

-C^-^

DOVER.

Owing to its contiguity to the Continent, Dover has always been con-
sidered a fortress of great importance ; indeed, it may be said to have saved
England from a French dynasty in 1216, when its great strength enabled
Hubert de Burgh to hold out against the combined forces of Louis of
France and the revolted barons.

But intending residents require more than military attractions to satisfy
their requirements, and although the Castle is without a doubt the great
centre of interest, the claims of Dover as a place of seaside resort have of
late years become increasingly manifest.

In the fortifications, the Norman Keep, Peverel's and Constable's Tosvers
should be visited, and near the edge of the cliff a beautiful brass cannon,
generally known as Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol, should not escape at-
tention. It is twenty-four 'feet long, and was presented to Henry VIII. by
Charles V. On its breech were engraved a few lines in low Dutch, as follow:

" Load me well and keep nic clean,
I '11 carry my ball to Calais Green."

The ^Vestern Heights are reached by ascending the Grand Shaft at the
end of Snargate Street. Here are the barracks and recreation grounds of the
soldiers, and their daily garrison life routine may with advantage be studied
in all its varied phases, for those who s])cak of the monotony of a soldier's
e-xistence can scarcely have given the subject much attention.

Shakespeare's Cliff, described by Shakespeare in his tragedy of " King
Lear," should be approached by the sea-shore, and ascended by the zigzag
path leading to the coast-guard station. The view from the summit will, on
a fine day, amjjly repay the trouble of the ascent.

305

^.J)^-

-Oa^

HYTHE.

Hythe was once an important seaport, and contained, according to
Leland, "a fair abbey, and live parish churches that now be clean destroyed."
Unhappily for it, the sea has gradually retired, until the ancient castle and
harbour are now more than three miles inland.

On high ground, commanding a fine view of the sea and of Romney
Marsh, stands the Church of St. Leonard. Externally it is a massive irre-
gular pile, its heavy form rendered heavier by huge buttresses. It has been
built at several different periods : parts are Roman, the chancel is Early
English, and additions have been made at much later times. The chancel,
both without and within, is of unusual beauty. The lofty clusters of slender

pillars of Sussex marble which support the roof and the window, have a
fine effect. Under the chancel is a remarkable groined crypt, admirably
designed and constructed ; but it is commonly visited for a very diff"erent
reason. It contains an enormous collection of human skulls and bones,
piled up with regularity and preserved with care. Their age is uncertain ;
but it is thought they were collected after they had long blanched on the
sea-shore, after a battle fought on the beach between Britons and Saxons, or
Saxons and Danes. It is enough for us that they are above a thousand
years old. They are in " capital preservation, and as white as though fresh
from the hands of the curator of Guy's. They would be just the things to
stimulate the imagination of a craniologist. Here are skulls thick enough
to have borne, one would think, the hammer of Thor without damage ;
there are others which might have been brained by a fan." The holes and
fractures of the skulls, evidently made during life, show that they belong to
those who came to a violent death.

Hythe is famous for its School of Musketry, established in i S54. A stately
avenue of elms leads from Hythe to the sea-shore.

•^06

Qi(L-^

SANDGATE.

Halfway between Folkestone and Hythe is the pretty and prosperous
watering-place of Sandgate. It may be approached from Folkestone by the
road along the shore, or by a footpath that climbs to the summit, and passes
along the edge of the cliff over the bright and breezy downs. From hence
we may enjoy a delightful view: to the right over the country to the Sugar-
loaf and Castle Hills, and the railway ; and on tlie left far over the sea to
the white cliffs of France. " In this romantic position, with heights ver-
durous and sun-crowned in its rear, and broad gleaming waters before it,"
lies Sandgate.

The Castle was built by Henry VIII., on the same plan as those at Deal

SANDGATE.

and Walmer, for the defence of the coast. When the invasion of England
was threatened by Napoleon I., seventy-four small circular forts, called
Martello Towers, — from a fort in Martella Bay in Corsica, of similar con-
struction, which had offered a formidable resistance to a British attack, —
were erected along this coast, and Sandgate Castle was now converted into
a circular redoubt with a large tower, mounting altogether thirteen guns.
A large encampment was also formed on the heights, barracks were erected
for artillery and infantry, and Sandgate became an important military centre.
A canal, 70 or 80 feet wide, was cut from Sandgate, and carried in a zigzag
manner along the edge of Romney Marsh, till, at a distance of thirty miles,
it unites with the Rother a few miles above Rye to the west of Dungeness,
It was intended that each of the angles formed by the zigzags should be
protected by cannon ; but though the embankments were pierced and sta-
tion-houses for artillerymen were built, the guns were never mounted, and the
canal as a military work was not completed. The encampment at Shornclilife
— the Shorn or Bare Rock — has been made permanent since the Crimean
War.

307

SANDWICH.

Sandwich, now two miles from the sea, and on a river scarcely navigable
for ships of very small burden, was formerly one of the wealthiest ports of
England. In 1446 a traveller describes it as the resort of vessels of every
size, and " as one might speak of Liverpool or Portsmouth " to-day. In the
time of Edward IV. it had nearly a hundred ships belonging to it. The
haven began to be difficult of access about the year 1 500, and in another
century admittance to the port was closed. In the reign of Elizabeth it be-
came, through the immigration of the Walloons, who were driven here by
persecution, a manufacturing town. These " gentle and profitable strangers "
cultivated market gardens, grew a favourite kind of celery, and, when the
Queen visited Sandwich, hung the streets with garlands of vine-leaves, while

i^^-

the Flemish and English children spun yarn on the platforms erected for them.
Sandwich occupies an oblong area, elevated about 15 feet above the sur*
rounding marshes. The streets are irregular ; the houses seem to jostle one
against another ; and though there is little that can be called picturesque,
the town has a " strangely old-world and Plantagenet " appearance. A
broad promenade, commanding some quaint Flemishlike pictures of still life,
indicates where the walls encircled the town. Of the five fortified gateways
only one remains. The Guild Hall, an Elizabethan building, contains a
council chamber. In 1661 the steeple of St. Peters Church fell, and de-
molished the south aisle, of which the ruins remain. Nearly opposite St.
Peter's is St. Thomas's Hospital. The ancient and lofty armoury hall has
a Perpendicular window worthy of examination. Outside the town, on the
Deal Road, is the Hospital of St. Bartholomew, standing on its estate of nearly
300 acres. The principal church is St. Clement's. Sandwich Castle formerly
stood on the south side of the town, and adjoining it was a Priory.

-.08

■>'>:f~^^

DEAL.

The coast scenery at Deal is always interesting and impressive. The
boat-builders busy at their craft ; the fishing-vessels getting under weigh, or
discharging their lively freightage on the beach ; the pilot-boats and their
bluff-bdlt weatherbeaten crews, who, it is said, would, if need be, face a
storm that a petrel would not dare ; the Castles of Deal, Sandown, and
Walmcr • the Downs, " the safest and most commodious roadstead in the
world " often crowded with deeply-laden merchantmen on their way down
or up the Channel to or from the most distant climes ; and the famous flat
and fatal Goodwins, " where the carcases of many a tall ship lie buried "
— so firm that you might play cricket on them to-day, but when the tide
returns, a quicksand : all these are in sight.

■^

3)E;\U

Deal Castle stands at the south end of the town. It wms erected by
Henry VII L, and resembles those of Sandown and Walmer. It consists of
a central keep or tower, surrounded by bastions pierced for guns. Haifa
mile north of Deal is Sandown Castle. Originally it was surrounded by a
moat, but the sea now washes one side of it. It is a grim-looking pile of
stone, the walls of which are from ir to 20 feet thick. Here the brave
Colonel Hutchinson and his lion-hearted wife were in close confinement,
and here he died, " after eleven months of harsh and strict imprisonment,
without crime or accusation," in September, 1664.

Walmer Castle, about a mile from Deal, has been much altered since its
original erection, and has become the official residence of the Lord Warden
of the Cinque Ports. The tourist must not attempt to reach Walmer from
Deal under the cliffs by the shore, unless he is certain that he will not be
overtaken by the tide. He should take the pleasant, safe, and breezy walk
that leads over the cliffs.

309

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FOLKESTONE.

Dover, it has been said, looks as though it had been built in the valley
round its haven, and then, as the water receded, to have steadily followed
it. Folkestone, on the other hand, seems as if it had originally settled by
the shore, and then had scrambled away from the advancing sea up the side
of a steep hill to take refuge near the church on its summit. " Rome," says
the author of the '' Ingoldsby Legends," " stood on seven hills ; Folkestone
seems to have been built on seventy." " Dirty smuggling old Folkestone,"
as it was formerly, and we fear justly, characterized, with its odd, sidling,
indescribable streets, has nearly disappeared before the advent of railway
enterprise. The directors of the South Eastern Railway Company are now

V^lr

i^^^M^^f^>-

supreme : Folkestone has become one of the great gateways between England
and France ; and by express and tidal trains and swift steamboats hundreds
of thousands of travellers pass by this route from all parts of Great Britain
to the Continent of Europe. New streets and villas for residents and visitors
have sprung up, and the widespread sea-view, the pleasant neighbourhood,
the animated scenes on the water and in the harbour, and the excellence of
the air, have combined to make Folkestone a popular and thriving watering-
place.

The Castle of Folkestone was built, it is said, on the site of a Roman
watch-tower. After the Conquest, a Norman fortress was built here. The
present Bail (or ballium) marks the spot, and the wall on the east side is
perhaps Norman. The Bail-Pond, or reservoir, is fed with water from St.
Eanswitha's Spring, which that marvellous maiden, we are told, brought over
hills and rocks to supply the oratory she had erected here on the shore,
"because it was one of the most solitary spots she could find." On the
West Cliff, on an elevation of 570 feet, is the Church of St. Eanswitha. The
tower is placed between the nave and the chancel.

EXPRESS TO PARIS.

The tendency of the future is to tlie economy of time in travelling. Men
are too busy to waste hours needlessly, and it is from this point of view that
the question of transit via Boulogne or Calais rises into importance. Place
the two routes side by side, and then note that the journey to Paris, v/d
Boulogne, is twenty-eight miles less as measured by distance, and one hour
and a quarter less as measured by time, than it is by way of Calais. There
is no doubt as to the value of the savings thus effected, they are patent on
the mere statement of the facts. The one point which militates against
the full force of these advantages, is the change in the time of departure ;
inevitable, so long as the service v/d Folkestone and Boulogne is a tidal
service. This objection is being surmounted in the present, and is destined
to vanish in the future. The Government of France, in conjunction with
the Municipality of Boulogne, are taking steps to deepen the harbour, so
that entrance and exit for much larger steamers will be practicable at all
times of the tide. The direct effect of this will be to enable more powerful
and rapid vessels to be used for the purposes of the sea transit, and also
to allow the times of departure to be fixed permanently. Under these
changed circumstances the sea voyage will be equally as brief as that by
way of Calais, and also equally unchangeable.

Whenever this result is brought about, the route by way of Folkestone and
Boulogne must of necessity suj)ersede that by way of Dover and Calais. In
the long run, weight will tell, and an hour and a quarter's useless journey
will eventually operate with enormous force against the existing route v/d
Dover and Calais. Dealing with the facts as they at present stand, it may
be worth while to point out, that the times of departure of the tidal service
are duly advertised in the daily papers in advance, so that anyone can obtain
accurate information on this point through that source. To some minds the
variation in the time of departure is not an unmixed evil, as it affords oppor-
tunities to suit family arrangements, &c. With respect to the sea voyage,
there are tens of thousands, to whom the potent charm of fresh sea air dur-
ing the warm summer time, will be a luxury sought for as a benefit; whilst
the broad fact remains under all circumstances, — the saving of labour,
money, and time.

In the tidal trains to and from Folkestone, saloon carriages specially fitted
for the comfort of families are attached. The steamers on the service have
new deck cabins, which deserve special notice, and are at time? so much in
demand that they are engaged more than a week in advance : and for the
convenience of travellers, interpreting conductors accompany the tidal trains
throughout the journey, and there are stewardesses on board the steamers.

L3^— c^

Imk

lllii'lll

312

t BOULOGNE. ?

Boulogne has become one of the most fashionable seaside places in
France. During the season — that is, during July, August, and September —
the wealth and fashion of Paris throng round the Casino, and luxuriate on
the splendid sands which line the shore. The bathing is exceptionally good,
and there is a promenade extending for some considerable distance in front
of the sea. The two piers or jetties arc also much frequented. On
approaching the French coast from Folkestone, three objects stand out with
distinctness : the first is a column erected to Napoleon, the second is a large
white building known as the Jesuit College, and containing some five hun-
dred scholars ; the third is the dome of the Cathedral. The old town lies
on the left-hand side of the port, and is in close contiguity to the most
fashionable quarter of the sands. Long narrow streets, mounii'ig up the
side of the steep hill, are composed almost entirely of fishermrn's houses,
and tell with great exactness how largely the fisherman's calling contributes
to its prosperity. One of the most marked peculiarities in Boulogne is the
dress of the fisherwomen ; their large white caps, surrounding the face like
a full moon, are not only conspicuous but effective. Another peculiarity is
the exceedingly posverful race of donkeys, that are used with a freedom
for equestrian purposes which at first sight is not a little sta-tling, it being
accepted as perfectly t/e rigcur to use them as hack horses would be used in
an English watering-place. The Cathedral is well worth seeing, the grand
altar under the dome being at once striking and beautiful. The Church of
St. Nicholas in the Grand Rue is renowned for its choral services. The
town itself is celebrated as the spot where the First Napoleon gathered
together his flotilla when he threatened to invade England, and also as
the town where tlie Third Napoleon essayed to seize the French Crown.
The town itself is one of tlie most charming of the seaside places in.
France, and recalls very vivitlly and perfectly the condition of a bygone
time.

\\\ Thackeray's " Newcomes," the town and its surroundings are de-
scribed with singular felicity. " I strolled along by those pretty okl walls
and bastions, under the pleasant trees which shadow them, and the grey old
gabled houses, from which you look down on the gay new city, and busy
ports and piers stretching into the shining sea, dotted with a hundred white
sails or black smoking steamers, and bounded by the friendly lines of the
bright English shore. There are few prospects more charming than the
familiar view from those old French walls — few places where young children
may play, and ruminating old age repose more pleasantly, than on those
peaceful rampart gardens." The route to Paris by way of Boulogne has
this advantage — the boats are in immediate connection with the train.
There is usually half an hour or more after the arrival of the boat from
Folkestone before the train leaves for Paris ; tliis interval can be usefully
employed in the buffet which adjoins the landing-place from the boats,
where a moderately good cuisine helps to stimukite tlie appetite awakened
by the sea air.

3^ i:?.^

PARIS.

Paris is beyond all question the handsomest city in the world. To its
architectural beauty must be added the charm of foliage, grouped statuary,
splendid triumphal arches, and magnificently planned open spaces, the
whole combining to form an effect that is absolutely unique. There are
many who visit Paris for the first time whose leisure for sight-seeing is very
limited. To them it is of the first importance to know how they can see
the special sights of Paris, and carry away with them a clear general idea of
its most prominent features. It is not too much to say that the first special
characteristic of Paris is its Boulevards, and the reason why this is so is not
far to seek. Paris has no private gardens, using this expression in its wide
general sense. The houses are architecturally beautiful, but they are con-
structed for six or eight families, each in its own flat or portion of a flat,
and they have to find their air, their exercise, and their outdoor life in the
open, carefully planned, and delightfully recreative streets or Boulevards.
This habit of life, which springs from necessity, is also in part created by
the delicious atmosphere, whose buoyancy and clearness give a new zest to
life, and partly also by that love of social intercourse which is so especially
marked in French natures. To sip coffee at a cafe, to dine at a restaurant,
or to loiter in the public gardens is as natural to Parisian life as the opposite
is to London life. Those, therefore, who wish to see and know Paris — know
it in the sense as representative of its inhabitants— must watch and note its
outdoor life. Beyond thjs special point of social condition, there is a series
of objects whose reputation is world-wide, and out of the most specially dis-
tinguished a short list is here appended.

1. Notre Dame. 9. Bois de Boulogne.

2. Palais Roval. 10. Les Invalides.

3. Louvre. ii. The Quavs.

4. The Tuileries. 12. Chamber of Deputies.

5. Place de la Concorde. 13. Madeleine.

6. Champs Elysees. 14, New Opera House.

7. Palais de l'Industrie. 15. The Vendome Column.

8. Arc de Triomphe. 16. The Boulevards.

All these can be seen in a rough rapid way in a few hours. The mode to
achieve this is to walk from your hotel to Notre Dame, the mother church
of Paris. Within a few minutes' stroll will be found the Palais Royal, com-
bining as its special modern qualities, jewellers' shops and restaurants;
immediately fixcing the exit into the Rue de Rivoli is the entrance to the
Tuileries and the Louvre. To know the Louvre and its marvellous riches
is a question of time, but a rapid passage through its galleries can be accom-
plished in an hour. Once again out into the open by the Quay-side, and
turn through the gardens of the Tuileries, towards the Place de la Concorde,
on reaching which one of the most magnificent ojien-air sights of Paris is
before the visitor. Looking straight before him, he will see the splendid

315

k3^-

ru^-

Faris.

vista of the Champs Elysces, with the Arc de Triomphe at the end in the
higher ground, standing out in vivid distinctness clear and sharp against
the sky. On the left, softened by its distance across the river, can be seen
the Chamber of Deputies, whilst immediately facing it, on the right, is the
church of the Madeleine. On a fine day, when the trees are in full foliage,
it is impossible to exaggerate the beauty of the position, combining as it
does all the charms of nature and art.

At this point it would be well for the visitor to hire a remise, and order
the driver to drive round the Bois de Boulogne and back again to Les
Invalides, In the course of this drive the visitor will see the more general
features of the Champs Elysees, containing many of the best houses in

PLACE DE LA CONCORDE.

Paris, and being distinguished at the farther end, near the Arc, as the
English Quarter. In some respects the Champs Elyse'es are suggestive of
English life. The houses are individual homes, and have a certain stamp
of wealth and exclusiveness. On passing the Arc de Triomphe, the way to
the Bois lies straight. The avenue which leads to it is studded on either
side with houses somewhat of the same class as that by which the Champs
Elyse'es are characterized. The Bois is essentially the Hyde Park of Paris,
with one difference, which is very marked. In Hyde Park street cabs are
rigidly excluded ; in the Bois they are at times very conspicuous by their
presence. Having seen the Bois, the driver will of necessity drive past the
Quays on his way to Les Invalides (the tomb of Napoleon), one of the most
splendid sights of Paris : the dome of the church is conspicuous from afar
by its gilded surface. Having spent a few minutes at Les Invalides, the
/isitor should drive past the Chamber of Deputies, through the Place de la

316

Paris.

Concorde, on to the Boulevards by the way of the Madeleine, a short dis-
tance beyond which will be seen the New Opera House, whilst almost
immediately facing it, is the Rue de la Paix, at the bottom of which is the
Vendome Column, conspicuous by the figure on the summit. If the visitor
will then drive straight down the Boulevards to the Place de la Bastille, he
will have the opportunity of seeing Boulevard life, which, by the way, is
seen at its best in the evening, at summer-time. By the route here described,
at a comparatively small cost, say seven or eight francs, a visitor may gather
a clear general idea of the most salient points for which Paris is famous.

He will have seen the sights: to know them is quite another matter. It
may, however, be observed that for all practical purposes, with the exception
of the pictures and other celebrated objects of art and antiquity in the
Louvre, one view is all that is required. A few minutes at the tomb of
Napoleon, and it is seen once and for all. The same may be said of almost
all the other sights of Paris. The Vendome Column, the Arc de Triomphc,
the Opera House, the Champs Elysces, etc., gain nothing, if they lose nothing,
by lengthened familiarity. In most cases the first view remains fixed on the
memory with its associated thoughts and sentiments.

From the Arc de Triomphe radiate a series of magnificent Boulcvanls,
and from this peculiarity the Arc has received the secondar}' name of I'Etoile,

Paris.

or The Star. From its summit may be obtained one of the most magnificent
views of Paris, and it may be worth noting that during the siege this exalted
surface was made use of by the miUtary as a stand for a battery. The Arc
bore traces of the struggle, although it sustained no serious damage. It
was built by the great Napoleon to celebrate his triumphs over Austria and
Prussia.

NOTRE DAME.

Notre Dame is the finest church in Paris, and is open dally from ten
to one o'clock. At the present time it is under repair, and the restora-
tions are being carried out with due care for the original idea, and the

NOTRE UAME.

general effect now being produced is magnificent. On the southern side
of the church is the Sacristy, where may be seen the coronation relics of
the Great Napoleon. In Lent and Advent lectures on passing subjects of
interest are delivered in the cathedral by the most eloquent men of the
day. On such occasions the congregations are so great that it is necessary
to go very early in order to obtain a good place for hearing. Immediately
in the vicinity ot Notre Dame, on the Quay-side, is the Morgue, or dead-
house. It is a small low building, divided down its centre by plate glass,
behind which are slabs of white marble, on which are exposed the bodies
of those who have been murdered or who have been found in the Seine. The
place is open to the public, and, strange as it may seem, much frequented
by some of the lower orders of Paris. The dramatic force of death has an
overwhelming fascination for some minds. It is well to avoid visiting the

place unless the nerves are strong.

318

^^^

tri5-

Pa 7' is.

PALAIS ROYAL.

Originally called Palais Cardinal ; it was built by Cardinal Richelieu,
who made it a present to his sovereign, Louis XIIL, and then its name
was changed to the one it at present bears. At difterent periods of its
history it has been famous for social and political developments. Here
were celebrated the orgies of the infamous Regent and Philip Egalitc. In
the early part of the first Revolution the gardens were much frequented by
the most violent politicians of the day, and it was here that the tricolor
cockade was first assumed. The general plan of the Palais Royal is a
parallelogram, with the gardens and fountain in the centre. A military
band plays here in the summer-time from 6 to 7, and from 10 to 11. The

I'Al Al^ Ki i'. Al,.

L3^^

more general features of the Palais Royal at the present time are its arcades,
restaurants, and shops for jewelry and articles de Paris. The Palais Royal
is well worth a visit, it only for a lounge. The cheaper restaurants are on
the first floor, and the prices are marked in plain figures at the doors.
It may be pointed out that the usual price for breakfast is two francs, whilst
that for dinners is two francs seventy-five centimes. These restaurants are
much used by the inhabitants of Paris — a sure test of excellence and mo-
deration in charge.

Whilst speaking of restaurants. It is well to remember the Restaurants
Duval, some twenty of which are scattered throughout Paris, and are remark-
able for their cleanliness, cheapness, and the substitution of waitresses for
waiters. The change in attendance is considered a distinct improvement.
In all the Duval Restaurants except one the waitresses are dressed in grey
gowns, white aprons, and caps, the whole eft'cct being very becoming.

3' 9

This Map of Paris is divided into lOO squares. The number aftixcd to name of r-nr'i place in subjoi-,

ol tmding the more

bjoi:
ore

M0NTRDT7G1.,

ARC DF. L'F.TOTT.K ...
BO IS DF, POL'LOGNF.

BELI.FVILLF.

BASTILLE

CHAMPS DE MARS.

ELYSF.E

GRAND OPERA
HOTEL DE VILLE .

JARflTX PES TriT.ERTES... 44 [ MADE

JARDTN DU I.fXEMBOrRG 75 MILIT

LES INVALIDES 53 MORG'

LOl'VRE 55 I NEUIl

I u,

5 the position of tho square such place occupies on the map. This reference will be found a ready mode
ities or places of interest.

5 6 7 8 9

■•■ 34
... 62
... 66

NOTRF. n.\;ME 66

PARC PF. MONCKAUX .. 23

PLACE VF.NDOME 34

PALAIS DE L INDUSTRIE 43

PALAIS ROVAI.
PALAIS DE JUSTICE

PANTHEON

ST. XAVIER

SORBONNE
TROCADERO
THE BOURSE

Paris.

THE LOUVRE.

The galleries of the Louvre are comprised in the three sides of that mag-
nificent quadrangle of which the Tuileries formed the fourth. The tale ot
their erection is told vividly and briefly by the few words that are engraved
on the sides of the principal entrance to the Museum, " Francis L com-
menced the Louvre 1541 ; Catherine de Medicis commenced the Tuileries
1564. Napoleon IIL united the Tuileries to the Louvre, 1852 — 1857."
Three centuries of history are grouped in these few sentences, and the art
treasures which each epoch gave to France are to-day preserved within the
walls of the Louvre.

It would be idle to attempt to enumerate them, for they are divided into a

VIEW OF THE QUAYS.

long series of sections, and each section has a catalogue. There are, how-
ever, certain special points which have a marked significance, and to a few
of the most remarkable we will draw attention.

The most general idea connected with the Louvre is the beauty of its
architecture and the character of its picture galleries. On its walls may be
seen splendid examples from the hands of painters the most celebrated
that the world has produced. Here are pictures by INIurillo, one of which
— "The Immaculate Conception" — cost ;^2 2,000 ; here also is "The
Marriage Feast of Cana," by Paul Veronese, valued at ^40,000 ; whilst in
the same room {Salon Carre) are to be seen pictures by Vandyck, Titian,
Leonardo da Vinci, Correggio, and Raphael. The same may be said of the
Grande Galeric, for here is Murillo's " Beggar Boy," and Guido's " Ecce
Homo," with a host of others by equally great masters, and amongst them
may be noted a splendid collection of paintings by Rubens. Amid the pro-

322

Pans.

fusion of art treasures it becomes evident that each visitor must select for
himself. The numbers by which a few of the most celebrated are distin-
guished, are here subjoined : —

28. Sleep of Antiope by Corrcggio.

104. Marriage Feast of Cana . . . . „ Paul Veronese.

214. Coronation of the Virgin . . . . „ Fra Angelico.

3 28. Ecce Homo „ Guido.

379. Saint Margaret „ Raphael.

471. Portrait of his Mistress . . . . „ Titian.

482. Virgin among the Rocks . . . . „ Leonardo da Vinci.

546. Immaculate Conception . . . . „ Murillo.

551. Beggar Boy „ Murillo.

M.W Ui'l'.KA liuL'.>5i;

There is one small point in connection with the numbering of the pic-
tures which is worth remembering. 'I'he colour in which the number is
painted denotes the nationality. Thus, black for French, blue for Dutch
and German, red for Spanish and also Italian. It may also be well to
mention, that beyond pictures, the Louvre is rich in historical treasures.
On the ground floor are marble statues of great beauty and value, and a
splendid collection of Assyrian, I\sjyptian, and Jewish antiquities. In the
portion known as the Old Louvre, the first floor is used for nmilar pur-
poses, whilst the second floor is utilized as a supplementary room for Dutch
and Flemish artists, Ethnographical specimens, and models of naval appli-
ances. In the galleries to the eastwartl of the Salic E^^x^ticnnc may be seen
the crown of Charlemagne, with his sword and sceptre and hand of justice;
the coronation robes of Napoleon ; his tent-bed, and some of his clothes,
as worn at St. Helena. Relics of Kings, Emperors, and Queens are also to

323

Paris.

be seen, the principal portion being in Salle 4. The Galleries are open
daily (Mondays excepted) from nine till five in the summer, and from ten
till four in the winter.

THE LUXEMBOURG.

The architectural details of the Luxembourg are much admired, and, to-
gether with its museum and gardens, fully entide it to notice. As the Louvre
may be taken as typical of past, the Luxembourg may be considered as re-
presentative of contemporaneous art, its walls containing the works of living

THK LUXEMBOURG.

French artists, or of such as have not been dead more than ten years, after
which period the pictures are removed to the Louvre. The collection is
considered to be second only to that of the Louvre. Since the burning ot
the Hotel de Ville, the Luxembourg has been the official residence of the
Prefect of the Seine, and its salons are not open to the public.

LES INVALIDES.

Founded for army pensioners, and covering an area of eighteen acres, it
may be regarded as the Military Museum of France. The Tomb of Napo-
leon is in the Church of St. Louis, on the southern side of the Cour
d'Honneur, surmounted by a lofty gilded dome, which is distinctly visible
from all parts of Paris. Here, surrounded by the remains of his Generals,
sleeps the greatest warrior of modern times, and the visitor, of whatever
nationalit)^, cannot fail to be impressed by the solemn grandeur of the
scene.

The hat and sword worn by the Emperor at Austerlitz are in a small

3-4

Paris.

recess in the crypt, whilst over the doorway leading thereto is the inscrip-
tion taken from the will of Napoleon — "I desire that my ashes may rest on
the banks of the Seine, in the midst of the French people, whom I have
loved so much." Visitors are admitted on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday,
and Friday, from twelve to three ; on Saturdays by passport.

PALAIS DE LTNDUSTRIE.
In this large but unpretending building the Exhibition of 1 85 5 was held.
On the outside are placed busts of celebrated men of every country, the

PALAIS UE L INDUSTRIE.

majority naturally being Frenchmen. Fine Art Exhibitions are held here
annually. A comparison between this, as shown on subjoined engraving,
and the Exhibition buildings of 1878 will sufficiently indicate the enormously
increased demand for space in these international fairs.

VENDOME COLUMN.

This was erected by Napoleon when his power was at its zenith, and is
two hundred feet high and thirteen feet in diameter. Its peculiar claim to
notice lies in the fact 01 its being composed of 1,200 cannon taken during
a three months' campaign. During the Communist outbreak in 1S71 the
column was pulled down, but fortunately the fragments were all recovered,
and the whole re-erected.

JULY COLUMN.
Erected in remembrance of those who fell in 1S30. It stands on the
site of the Bastille, and beneath are interred those who fell in the conflicts
of 1830 and 1848, and lastly the victims of the Commune in 1871.

325

t ft^^-j^"

ENVIRONS OF PARIS.

VERSAILLES.

The courteous attention to visitors which characterizes the French
people comes out conspicuously in contiection with the original idea of
Versailles. It was built as the Palace of Reception for foreign monarchs
during their sojourn in Paris. Francis I. pulled down the old building to
replace it by a new edifice, whilst the superb eastern facade was erected by
order of Louis XIV. His wish was to stamp upon the productions of his
reign the full glow of magnificence, and it comes out nowhere so conspicu-

VERSAILLES.

L3p

ously as at Versailles. The palace itself is grand alike in original design
and in the wonderfully executed carvings with which it is enriched. The
gardens are a splendid instance of that reckless expenditure for which the
reign was famous. The interior of the palace is equally gorgeous, the de-
corated ceilings forming an important feature— possessing a special interest
from the fact that they are in many instances the work of renowned painters.
The cost of the palace and gardens has been estimated at forty millions
sterling — -an amount infinitely greater then, than it would be now, yet large
enough even at the present day to excite comment. It is not improbable
that the heavy taxation, combined as it was with the assertion of despotic
sovereignty, developed eventually in the great Revolution. The policy
which was born of the celebrated phrase of Louis XIV., " L'e/af, c'est 7fioi!"
laid the embers for the conflagration which eventually swept over Europe.

326

r^5^

ti E7iviro7is of Paris.

The Palace of Versailles is divisible into three great divisions, the centre,
north, and south wings. In the south wing will be found Horace Vernet's
" Battles of Wagram and Friedland," and Gerard's " Battle of Austerlitz."
In the north wing there are eleven salles of paintings : a few of the principal
may be here enumerated.

Salle I.— Ary Schcffer's picture of "Charlemagne." Salle IV.— Ary
Scheffer's " Death of Gaston de Foix." Salle VI.—" Anne of Austria," by
Delaroche. Salle VIII.—" Death of Turenne," by Chabord. The pictures
are open to view any day. Among the more special points in connection
with the palace may be mentioned the apartments occupied by Marie
Antoinette. The furniture is very beautiful, and is in the same condition
as when the unfortunate Queen fled. In a recess in one of these rooms is
a series of mirrors so placed that the person who looks into either of them
shall see nothing but his head.

In the gardens the Orangerie is well worth seeing. One of the trees is
called the Grand Bourbon ; the seeds from which it sprung were sown in
142 1 ; it is still blooming and fresh. There are three points of interest in
connection with the gardens which will impress themselves on the visitor.
One is their great beauty; the second is the general resemblance they bear
to Hampton Court and Kensington Palace Gardens, only tliose of Ver-
sailles are on a much larger scale ; and the third point is their wonderful
fountains. These are seen to the greatest advantage when the Grandes
Eai/x play ; this is generally on a Sunday, and it is always announced some
time beforehand. The whole of the fountains then commence playing at
four o'clock, and continue for about two hours, attracting large numbers of
visitors. The fountains in the Basin of Neptune do not play quite so long,
as they require such enormous volumes of water that they would quickly
exhaust the supply. Our engraving represents one of the fountains, with
the palace in the background. In the Grande Galerie de Louis XIV. the
King of Prussia was declared German Emperor on January iSth, 1871.

FONTAINEBLEAU.

By rail from the Boulevard Ma/as, distant from Paris thirty-five miles.

This favourite residence of bygone French sovereigns, situated near the
magnificent forest of the same name, was constructed at diflerent epochs,
and partially rebuilt by Francois I. The Castle is entered by ascending
the famous Horseshoe Steps, on which Napoleon stood when he bade adieu
to the Imperial Guard in 18 14. The visitor will find some fine paintings in
the different galleries, and the furniture and fittings of several of the salons
are very sumptuous.

The park attached to the palace is very fine, but the grand old forest
will probably usurp attention. A 7'oitufr should be engaged, and the driver
told to show you the several points of interest ; but care should be taken to
return to the station in time, the last train leaving for Paris at a compara-
tively early hour.

327

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Paris.

-1

LIST OF THE MOST REMARKABLE BUILDINGS, PALACES, &C.

OPEN to the PUBLIC

FROM TO

Arc de Triomphe

Cemetery of Pei'e la Chaise

Champs Elysees

Cokimn of July, Place de la Bastille
Column of the Place Vcndome
Fontaineblcau

Gobelins Manufactory

Hotel deVille

Hotel des Invalides

Jardin d'Acclimatation

Louvre and its Museum

Luxembourg Palace

Madeleine Church

Museum of the Luxembourg, 19, /

Rue de Vaugirard )

Notre Dame

Obelisk of Luxor

Palace of Ely see

Palace of the Tuileries

Pantheon, now called the Church ")

of St. Genevieve j

Sainte Chapelle, Palais de Justice...

Sevres

The Bourse

Tomb of Napoleon (Hotel des")
Invalides) 5

Trianon at Versailles

Triumphal Arch of the Carrousel . . .
Versailles

l2.onoon

i.o p.m.

2.0 p.m.
I2.onoon

9.0 a.m.
1 0.0 a.m.

I2.onoon

1 1.0 a.m

9.0 a.m

i2.onoon

4.0 p.m.

4.0 p.m.
3.0 p.m.

5.0 p.m.
4.0 p.m.

4.0 p.m.

4.0 p.m.
4.0 p.m.
12.0 p.m.
3.0 p.m.

4.0 p.m.
4.0 p.m.

REMARKS.

Fee.

Small fee.
Fee.

( Passport, or stamped
(_ card, Wed. and Sat.

Rebuilding.

Fees.

Daily, one franc.

Daily,except Mondays.

Gardens and Museum.

Daily, except Mondays.
C Fee, if attendance re-
(_ quired.

Rebuilding.
(Fee, if attendance re-
l_ quired.

Fee, daily.
5 Daily, by ticket ; free,
I Sunday.

Week days.
fMon., Tues., Thurs.,
(^ and Friday.
C Passport, Sun., Tues.,
(_ and Thursday.

Dailv.

Addresses of the Embassies in Paris.

Austria, 7, Rue las Cases; open i.o to 3.0.
Belgium, 153, Rue du Faubourg St. Honore; 12.0 to 2.0.
Brazil, 13, Rue de Tehe'ran.
Denmark, 37, Rue de TUniversite; 1.0 to 3.0.
England, 39, Rue du Faubourg St. Honore; lo.o to 3.0.
Germany, 7S, Rue de Lille, 12.0 to 1.30.
GFeece, 20, Rue Taitbout.
Italy, 127, Rue St. Dominique; 1.0 to 3.0.
Netherlands, 9, Rue Montaigne; 12.0 to 3.0.
Portugal, 30, Avenue Friedland.
Russia, 79, Rue de Crenelle; 12.0 to 2.0.
Spain, 25, Quai d'Orsay; 1.0 to 4.0.
Sweden and Norway, 22, Rue de Rovigo; 12.0 to 2.0.
Switzerland, 3, Rue Blanche; lo.o to 3.0.
Turkey, 17, Rue Lafitte ; 12.0 to 3.0.
United States, 3, Rue Scribe ; 1 0.0 to 3.0.

328

■^^^

SWITZERLAND.

Switzerland may be roughly defined as that Al[)ine tract which divides
France and Germany from Italy, which extends from Lake Constance on
the north-east to Lake Geneva on the south-west. It is remarkable for
four varieties of scenery : mountain, lake, waterfall, and glacier. In no
other portion of Europe is it possible to find the same solemn grandeur of
scenery combined with the same richness of foliage, brilliancy of flowers, and
tender lu.xuriance. The xMatterhorn springs from a bed of ice ten thousand
feet above the level of the sea, and shoots upward another five thousand,
stern, dark, and lifeless. The Lake of Lucerne, with its infinite variety of
colour and tint, with mountain melting into mountain, with its crystal
waters and its glowing beauty, must be seen to be appreciated. The Falls of
the Giessbach rush from the mountains and precipitate themselves more
than a thousand feet into the lake below. The Mer de Glace at the foot
of Mont Blanc is a sea with its tumbling waves frozen into stillness — a scene
at once curious, impressive, and grand. All these and a thousand other
varieties of scenery are to be found in Switzerland. How to see what is
best worth seeing in the shortest time and at the smallest expense is the
ideal we have put before ourselves. To achieve this we intend to notice
only the more important points connected with each route, reminding the
reader that special information belonging to each locality is obtainable on
the spot, or can be found in Bedeker, Murray, or Cook's guides and hand-
books.

Basle is generally accepted as the most available point for entering upon
a Swiss tour. The town itself possesses no very marked claim to attention.
The Munstcr, however, is reckoned one of the finest Protestant churches
in the world. A stairway leads from the Choir lo the Council Hall, so
named from the councils held there. It is in the same condition as
when used in the fifteenth century, and contains among other curiosities
the " Uance of Death," as commemorating the plague. In the Museum
there is a portrait of Erasmus, who lived here for some time, and some
good drawings. It is inijjortant to bear in mind that the Basle time differs
from that of Paris by twenty-two minutes, and at the Central Railway Station
there are two clocks, one set to each time. The Hotel Trois Rois at Basle
is well situate and very jjleasant. In the season it is wise to telegraph for
rooms, as the hotel is often full. The nearest point of interest to Basle is
Schaffhausen, noted for the Falls of the Rhine. It is about three hours'
distance by rail. The best point of view is from the Schloss Laufen,
admission one franc; the best time is the early morning, when the rainbows
are visible. The description given by Ruskin is very vivid and poetic,
rather too much so for our taste ; we have, however, appended a small
I)ortion which is both vigorous and beautiful :—" Stand for an hour beside
the tails of Schaffhausen on the north side, where the rapids are long, and
watch how tlie vault of water first bends unbroken in pure polished velocity

3*9

-^?^<i

') Switzerland.

over the arching rocks at the brow of the cataract, covering them with a
dome of crystal twenty feet thick, so swift that its motion is unseen except
when a foam globe from above darts over it like a falling star ; and how the
trees are lighted above it under all their leaves at the instant that it breaks
into foam."

The next points on the route are Constance and Lake Constance, but
neither the one nor the other possess very special attractions. The town
retains an interest as being associated with the great reformer, Huss, who
was burnt ; they show the spot in the Cathedral where he knelt when he
was condemned, saying, "Lord Jesus, forgive mine enemies." They also
show the field where he perished at the stake.

In the Bohemian tongue Huss means goose, and the good-humoured
defiance he uttered as he faced the flames still lives: "Are you going to
burn a goose ? in one century you will have a swan you can neither roast
nor boil." Luther, who appeared within a century, had a swan for his
coat of arms. The Lake of Constance is large, but has few special attrac-
tions.

From Schaffhausen to Zurich is but a short distance. In the city of
Zurich the two points of most importance are the Cathedral and Town
Library. At the Cathedral there is an equestrian figure of Charlemagne ; at
the Town Library, admission one franc, there is a model in relief of Switzer-
land, and a collection of antiquities having reference to the Swiss lake dwell-
ings. In connection with this last subject it may be mentioned that at
Wetzikon may still be seen in situ the remains of these old structures. They
are now visible in consequence of the lake in which they were originally
constructed having dried up and become a peat moss. It may also be
pointed out that at Hurdin what would appear to be something like a sur-
vival of the principle connected with the old lake dwellings, still exists. It
is a causeway three-quarters of a mile long of loose planks laid on wooden
piers, the whole construction being of the most primitive character. The
Lake of Zurich is pleasant, pretty, and enjoyable, but does not possess any
special claim to detain the traveller. The same, however, cannot be said
of the Lake of Wallenstadt which, next to Lucerne, is probably one of the
finest in Switzerland. The northern shore rises upwards in lofty cliffs of
rugged grandeur, whilst in the south the scenery is rich and fertile.

From Zurich to Lucerne by rail, for some portion of the route the side
of Lake Zug is skirted, and at Cham station there is a good view of the
lake itself. The country is richly wooded and very picturesque. At Lu-
cerne the tourist reaches the most beautiful lake in Switzerland, and at its
far end are the Rigi and Pilatus Mountains, less celebrated for their height
than for the views they afford of the surrounding country. Ranges of
mountains, including the Bernese Oberland can be seen, and ten lakes
counted from its summit. The railway up the Rigi offers a means of
reaching the top without trouble ; and as it travels slowly may be practically
considered very safe. The scenery on the lake is very beautiful, being at

I "° a

L5^ — e?^.

r^ 7^

•^ Switzerland.

once grand, varied, and delicate. Steamboats make the tour of the lake
several times daily. The ascent of the Rigi can be readily made by walk-
ing ; in such case the steamer should be left at VVeggis, whilst if it is in-
tended to use the train, the point of debarkation is Viznau, which is the
terminus of the Rigi railway. In the town of Lucerne there are two points
specially worth being seen; one is the famous Lion of Lucerne, sculptured
out of the sandstone rock in memory of the Swiss Guards who perished at
the outbreak of the French Revolution, and who died defending the royal
family of France. Near here is also the Glacier Garden, which contains
some curious examples of glacial actions, and a collection of objects from
the Swiss lake dwellings.

Those visitors who desire to see the Rhone Glacier, can do so by passing
over the Furca Pass. To effect this, leave Lucerne by steamer to Fliielen,
thence to Hospenthal by the St. Gothard route. The sight of the Rhone
Glacier is considered one of the finest sights in Switzerland.

From Lucerne to Interlaken the road is through Aleiringen. The Falls
of Reichenbach are only a short walk. From Meiringen to Grindelwald, and
then to Interlaken, to arrive at which w^e pass through the Lake Brienz,
celebrated for the magnificence of its mountain scenery. Interlaken, as its
name implies, is between the Lakes Brienz and Thun. It is fast becoming
the Paris of Switzerland and a fit home for the pleasure-seeker and fashion-
able lounger ; to some this definition will imply indifferentism, to others, all
that makes life enjoyable. It is surrounded by all the more distinctive features
of Swiss scenery. From its main promenade, the Hoheweg, may be obtained
a splendid view of the Jungfrau ; at a short distance are the Falls of the
Staubbach. From here may with convenience be visited the Wengern Alp
and the Bernese Oberland, whilst a dozen minor celebrities are fairly within
reach. Interlaken thus combines a pleasant locality, charming surroundings,
and a useful centre for seeing this portion of Switzerland. From Interlaken
the route lies through the Lake of Thun to Berne. Nowhere does the pecu-
liarity of Swiss conditions of life come out with greater force than at Berne.
The town itself stands at more than 1600 feet above the level of the sea;
throughout the city the Swiss emblem — the bear — is to be met with at
every turn. They are to be seen alive in the Bear Pits, sculptured on the
fountains, prominent in the city arms, and visible in all materials. In the
Cathedral there are two points of special interest — the organ and the marble
group of the Entombment of Christ. The organ, one of the finest in
Europe, is played daily at 6 p.m., entrance fee one franc. In the Federal
Council Chamber there are some good pictures. In the Museum there is
the celebrated dog Barry, who saved fifteen lives during his career at St.
Bernard.

From Berne the most direct route is through Fribourg to Lausanne and
then on to Geneva. The inhabitants of Fribourg are both German and
French. It has been said, " Go to the upper part, and everybody and every-
thing is German ; go to the lower part, and everybody and everything is

L3^ — .':^

RHOtTE MOTEL k GL-AgyTTT

n>OS E.'.TL'A 'J

^ ^

Sic itzcr land.

French." The town is very hilly, and with the exceptions of its Lime-trees,
its Cathedral, and its Suspension Bridge, that which is most worth seeing is
the town itself, with its curious architectural effects. The river which runs
through it is some 200 ft. below the level of the streets. When reaching
Lausanne, the traveller should not forget to stay at or visit the Hotel
Gibbon, rendered memorable as the spot where Clibbon finished his
" Decline and Fall." Lausanne itself is pleasantly situated, and has a
charming climate. The one special feature is the Cathedral, which will
well repay a visit. From Lausanne to Ouchy by omnibus in half an hour,
fare \ franc, and we are on the borders of the Lake of Geneva. It was at
Ouchy that Byron and Shelley remained, and it was here also, at the Hotel
d'Angleterre, that Byron wrote the "Prisoner of Chillon." —

Chillon, thy prison is a holy place,
And thy sad floor an altar — for 'twas trod
Until his very steps have left a trace
Worn, as if thy cold pavement were a sod ;
By Bonnivard I May none these marks efface,
For they appeal from tyranny to God.

The Castle of Chillon, to which these lines have reference, is at the end of
the Lake near to Montreux, and can be readily reached either by rail
or steamboat. The scene on the Lake of Geneva is very beautiful, more
especially between Villeneuve and Ouchy. One of the best points of sight
from which to see Mont Blanc is at Morges. The best mode of seeing the
Lake of Geneva is from the deck of the steamboats, of which there are
many. The excursions are usually adapted so as to bring fairly into view
all the more remarkable points of interest or beauty in connection with the
Lake itself. Full information can be obtained at any of the landing-places
on the Lake, or at the Hotels.

The last points to which we will refer are Geneva and Mont Blanc.
Geneva has three special associations : Calvin, Watches, and Mont Blanc.
Its reputation is well deserved in each case. In the Cathedral, the canopy
of the pulpit is the same as when Calvin poured forth his conception
of truth, and fiercely denounced the sins of Romanism. At No. 1 1, Rue des
Chanoines Calvin lived for many years. It is situate close to the Cathedral.
In the shops can be seen beautiful and elegant examples of that skill in watch-
making for which Geneva is justly famed.

From Geneva diligences start three or four times daily for Chamouny,
whose great elevation, 3,300 ft. above the level of the sea, combined with
its great beauty and intimate association with Mont Blanc, combine to give
to it a world-wide reputation. In the immediate neighbourhood is
Montanvert and the Mer de Glace, which has been thus described : — " Ima-
gine the ocean to have overflowed the mountains in front of you, and to
have descended, boiling, foaming, dashing, bubbling, into the valley thou-
sands of feet below. Imagine the waters in the height of their wild and
furious descent to have been miraculously stopped by the Divine fiat, ' Be

% "* k

L3^ ■ ON^Jj

Simtzc.rland. ^

still.' .... Such is the Mer de Glace. To your right as you look up, are
green precipitous banks, and beyond rises Mont Blanc. In front and to your
left rises a barrier of rocks and mountains and peaks, that make you cold and
dizzy to gaze upon. There is the Aiguille da Dm, shooting up alone like
an arrow, 6,000 ft. above the spot on which you stand." With respect to
the general grandeur of the scenery that surrounds and belongs to Mont
Blanc, it would be idle to speak. Its reputation as one of the grand sights
of the world, stands unchallenged, not alone from its mere height, but from
the varied beauties and wonders by which it is everywhere surrounded.

We have engraved a view of St. Moritz, a village in the valley of the
Engadine, which, in addition to the attractions afforded by its numerous
walks and carriage drives, is renowned for its baths ; these were spoken of
in terms of eulogy by Paracelsus as far back as the year 1539.

The Valley of Desolation is in the mountainous group of the St. Gothard.

" The road
Leads through a pass whose grandeur is a load
Upon the awe-struck mind : the wild Reuss sweeps
From precipice to chasm, where it keeps
Boiling and fretting till it throws abroad
Mist clouds : then, chafed and flying from its goad,
Like fiery steed, o'er crag and crevice leaps."

The Bristenstock, of which we give an illustration, is 10,085 feet high. It
rises in shape like a pyramid, and a fine view is obtainable from near
Silenen.

On the Wengern Alp the traveller may witness some of the grander
though sterner characteristics of Swiss scenery. The avalanches may here
be both heard and seen, dashing in headlong fury over the rugged brow
of the Jungfrau, to find a resting place three thousand feet below in the
ravine known as the Triimlethenthal.

MONT CENIS ROUTE.

At the present time the great bulk of all traffic between Italy, France,
and Switzerland passes through Mont Cenis Tunnel, and so far as rapidity
and economy are concerned, it is the natural route. Those who come
from Paris may with convenience break their journey at Chambery. The
situation of the town is pleasant, and it is also surrounded by good scenery.
After leaving Chambery, the next place of importance is Modame, and here
all hand luggage is examined. Here, also, travellers change carriages.
After starting the train soon begins to ascend, and after two short tunnels,
enters the great tunnel under the Alps. In the tunnel itself there is no
sense of oppression or discomfort ; and, on emerging on the other side, the
eftect is singularly striking, and the views obtainable at different points in
the descent extremely beautiful. At Susa the Arch of Augustus is seen.
Gradually the train reaches the level plains of Lombardy, and speeds rapidly
to Turin.

3iP- ■_ C5^

rHEBf?lSTENSTOGK*?HE LiAKr OFl'f^l Fli.-.LiN >

f^^

THE ITALIAN LAKES.

Those who are fond of lake and mountain scenery will scarcely rest satis-
fied with having proceeded as far as Mont Blanc, without desiring to see
those beauties and wonders which are in the immediate neighbourhood.
From Swiss lake and Swiss scenery to mountain passes and the Italian
lakes is a natural transition of thought and feeling. To those who are in
vigorous health and can laugh at the idea of fatigue, there are few excur-
sions more enjoyable than to cross from Switzerland into Italy by one of
the mountain passes. The sense of buoyancy produced by the purity and
clearness of the air, the wonderful variations in scenic effect, the grandeur
and majesty of nature in its more lonely and impressive aspects, will all
combine to give a charm to the excursion. Those, however, who are not so
strong as to be above fatigue, and who are content with more modest, if
less exciting views of mountain scenery, will probably do wisely by working
fo Chambery, and from thence through the Mount Cenis Tunnel, to Turin
or Milan. The passage over the Alps by any of the more recognized
routes is not a great exploit ; it is more as a matter of fatigue, than for any
other reason, that any traveller need hesitate.- There are three principal
routes by diligence over the Alps.

From Coire, over the Splugen to Colico, and thence to Como.

From Martigny, over the Simplon to Arona and Lago Maggiore.

From Lucerne, over the St. Gothard to Camerlata, and thence to Como.

The time consumed in crossing varies considerably; thus, over the
Splugen it takes about seventeen hours, over the Simplon about twenty
hours, and over the St. Gothard about twenty-four hours. The pass by
way of Mont Cenis is now not much used since the construction of the
tunnel, and no doubt the same fate awaits the St. Gothard as soon as that
tunnel is completed. The beauty of the scenery in the different passes
varies considerably, and one author thus expresses himself: — "I have
crossed by Mont Cenis Pass, the St. Gothard, and the Simplon, and though
each has its own peculiar attractions, yet the Splugen Pass is truly the most
magnificent road over the Alps. No one can go over that road and enter
into the spirit of it, without feeling that the mind has been enlarged by this
communication with Nature in her noble grandeur." We believe the same
might be said of each of the passes, so far as nobility and beauty are con-
cerned. The masses of grouping may vary, but the general effects are the
same. We will take the route over the Simplon. The railway from
Geneva runs past Martigny to Sierre, where the diligences start for crossing
the pass, once every day. The scenery in the earlier part of the journey is
much associated with ancient castles, which may be seen on almost every
hill top. As th ^ diligence proceeds further, it passes the villages of Leuk,
Susten, Tourtemagne and Virge, until Brique is reached. From this point
the ascent begins, and for the most part follows the road constructed by
Napoleon after the battle of Marengo, until at length the splendid panorama
of the Alps is brought fairly into view. Those who are enthusiastic about
Alpine scenery declare that this portion of the view is well worth the entire

^^i3- ■ zS^"

i) T/^i' Italian Lakes. (

cost and labour of the journey from England. The summit of the Pass is
6,600 feet above the level of the sea. From thence the descent is through
every variety of scenery towards the softer climate of Italy. Now it is a
gorge of stupendous grandeur, like the Gorge of Gondo, now it is the
waters of the Frassinone which leap from crag to crag until they are lost in
the abyss below, and now it is a dark mass of rock which is lost in the
clouds above. These alternate with patches of delicious verdure, vineyards
and olive groves, until Fariolo is reached, when Lake Maggiore bursts into
view with the Isola Madre in the distance. The diligence then proceeds
rapidly to Arona. In the case of the St. Gothard Pass, the steam boat
passes from Lucerne to the other end of the lake, and at Fluelen the
the diligence is taken to cross the pass. In the summer season there are
two services daily. The scenery is practically the same as that of the
Simplon. The points of variation being the Hospice, the post house
where travellers stop for dinner, and the final result, for the traveller lands
at last at Chiasso, the custom house of Switzerland, and in a very short
time is at Lake Como. In the case of the Splugen Pass, the route is the
shortest, being about seventy-six miles, and occupying about seventeen
hours. One of the most remarkable features on the pass is the Via Mala.
It is a remarkable fissure three to four miles long, and about 1,500 feet
deep. The carriage road runs through at a great altitude but perfectly
safe. Before reaching Como the Lake of Riva is skirted, and the diligence
reaches its destination at Colico, where the steamboat awaits its arrival.

The Italian lakes are singularly beautiful, and this beauty is increased
by the clearness of the air, the brilliancy of the foliage, and the deep blue
of the waters of the lakes. Lake Como is at once the largest and most
beautiful of the Italian lakes. The point of greatest beauty is reached at
Bellagio, where the lake divides into two arms, the one leading to Como,
the other to Lecco. The tour of the lake can be made either from Como
or Colico. At Menaggio the scenery is very beautiful, and the spot is
much frequented as a halting place. In the upper part is the Villa Vigoni,
with some fine modern works of art. At Bellagio there is a good hotel
(Grand Bretagne) and pension. At Bellagio is the Villa Melzi, celebrated
for its sculpture by Canova and Thorwaldsen. From Bellagio a steamer
runs daily to Lecco. The rail runs from thence to Milan. At Como the
cathedral contains some fine altar-pieces and pictures. The Lake of
Lugano is reached from Menaggio on Lake Como. Monte San Salvatore
rises immediately behind the town and commands magnificent views.
From Mendrisi on the road to Como is Monte Generoso, known as the
Rigi of Italy. From its summit may be seen the whole of the Italian
lakes, whilst to the north are visible the whole range of the Alps. Lago
Maggiore is the largest of the Italian lakes, being about forty miles long
and of varying width. The scenery varies greatly, being more beautiful in
the north than in the south. "The glory of the lake culminates in the
neighbourhood of Raveno and Stresa, and these are the favourite halting

\.3^- «3^.

f'e^- — —

r The IlaliaiL Lakes.

places of visitors, as they command views of the strangely beautiful Bor-
romean Isles, and the deep bold bay in which they are situated.'

There are four islands in the Borromean group, the one which is con-
sidered to be the most perfect is named Isola Bella, but its beauty is
largely due to the care and effort of a wealthy count, who found a barren
rock, and determined to create a terrestrial paradise. At an enormous e.\-
pense he converted the island into a state of culture and verdure, such as
it now manifests. It does not, however, bear the palm of beauty undis-
putedly. Isola Madre dares to compete, and in some minds it does com-
pete successfully, for iirecedence, as being of a less artificial type of beauty
than her celebrated sister. The (question is one of taste, and each visitor
must settle it for himself. The other two islands are less important and
ess interesting.

Stresa is one of the best resting places on the lake. Here there is a fine
hotel well placed, commanding some of the best views of the lake, and
from this locality Monte Alotterone may be readily ascended. The
following tour of the lakes has been suggested. " Visit Lago Maggiore and
terminate the journey at Luino. Take diligence or carriage to Lugano.
Make the tour of the lake and terminate the journey at Porlezza. From
Poriezza take omnibus or carriage to Menaggio on the Lake of Como, and
if Lago d'Iseo and Lago di Garda are to be visited, terminate the Como
journey at Lecco, and take train, via Bergamo." It must be remembered
that the tour of these lakes follows the ordinary rules of travelling, and
must be regulated by the time, inclination, and previous or pending
arrangements of the traveller. It is, however, well to know what is considered
the most admirable route by those who have made the cjuestion a study.

Our engravings will speak for themselves ; reference has already been
made to Isola Bella and Bellagio. The Villa Clara, on Lago Maggiore, is
the charming house selected by Her Majesty Queen Victoria as a residence
during her recent visit to the Italian lakes.

The island of San Giulio is of fairy-like beauty. It is a rock rising out of
the intense blue water, fringed with villas and gardens, and crowned by an
old church and a campanile, forming from every jwint of approach a charm-
ing coup d'(£iL St. (liulio was a saint of the fourth century, who was
buried in the church, and some vertebrae of a whale are siiown as those of
a monster he destroyed. In the church are some beautiful frescoes by
Tibaldi and Gaudenzio di Ferrara, with an ancient jiulpit and some bas-
reliefs of the tenth century. San Giulio was a residence of the old Lombard
kings. Tomo or Torno is a most i>icturestjue village on a projecting point
of Lake Como, to which the boats cross from Molirasio. In its orchanls and
gardens grow most semi-tropical and temperate fruits — the pomegranate,
olive, vine, fig, and mulberry. Villas and hotels cluster round the jiic-
tures(iue knolls or creep up the wooded hill sides. The lake contains
excellent trout, pike, and the agoni, a species of carp peculiar to these
lakes of Lombardy. I

% "' ^

^ T//e Italian Lakes. ^

Travellers visiting Italy should remember that there are four questions
connected with travelling, each of which it is well to keep in mind, viz. :
Routes, Passports, Money, and Luggage, and on each of these we offer
suggestions.

In visiting any portion of the Continent, it is wise to apportion the time
which is proposed to be expended in travelling, laying out clearly the
route which is intended to be taken, and allowing to each place its portion
of time. It is not too much to say that more pleasure is derived from
care in this particular than in any other. If any one in travelling has to
rush to and fro at the last moment, not only is the pleasure of the journey
destroyed, but less advantage in every way is obtained. If, on the con-
trary, care has been taken to allot to each place its portion of time, and
also making allowance for possible over-fatigue, a journey will, under such
circumstances, more certainly result in satisfaction to all concerned. No
rule is sounder than that which urges upon our attention not to do too
much, but to do thoroughly that which is taken in hand.

In the same way, it is well clearly to understand what is the exact position
of passports. They are not necessary as a rule ; but they take up little
room, and are always an advantage. Passports may not be required, but
they should be taken. They do not need a visa for British or American
travellers in Italy. There are many occasions when a passport is of advan-
tage, and as the cost is very trifling, it is well to be provided with one. It
will sometimes procure admission to museums or palaces when nothing
else will, and it is always useful in procuring delivery of letters from the
Poste Restantc. Only one passport is required for all the members of a
family or party, when travelling together.

MoJiey. — The most convenient form in which to take money, is by
Circular Notes, because whenever they are changed by the bankers to
whom they are addressed, the full value is obtained. If only a temporary
visit is intended, sovereigns or napoleons will be found most useful. The
twenty-franc piece is the standard for France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy.

Money Table.

France.

Italy.

lo centimes

id.

10 centesimi

id.

50 centimes

\ franc

50 centesimi

\ lira

100 centimes

I franc

100 centesnni

I lira

I franc .

I lira .

• 9¥-

5 francs .

/[S.

5 lira .

4J-.

20 francs .

i6s.

20 lira .

16s.

Money is represented by paper all through Italy, and in taking paper see
that you obtain your premium.

Luggage. — In Italy all luggage that is not carried in the hand is charged
for; and throughout the Continent the rules with respect to luggage are
much more stringent, and much less generous, than they are in England.
The golden rule is, to dispense with all needless luggage, as it is both
costly and troublesome when there is any large quantity.

342

tP(s

TURIN.

There are few cities whose history has been so largely dependent upon
the fortunes of a royal family as Turin. It was the capital of Sardinia
whilst Italy was passing through the process of development towards its
final unity. When the King of Sardinia became the King of Italy, the capital
was removed to Florence, and Turin at once lost much of the prestige
that had been before a.ssociated with it. At the present lime it has little
claim to attraction beyond its broad open streets and generally handsome
look. It has few special objects of art, and still fewer special subjects
worthy attention. The streets, however, are wide and hand.some, whilst
the general aspect of the city is modern and pleasant. The places best

Lf)^-

worth visiting are the Accademia, the Cathedral, and the Royal Palace.
The Palazzo dell' Accademia, in the Via dell' Accademia, contains a mode
rately good collection of pictures, in which examples by Paulo Veronese
and Guido are somewhat conspicuous. Tlic gallery is open free ever)'
week day, from 9 to 4, on Sundays, 9 to i. On the ground floor of the
Accademia is a good collection of antiquities — the Egyptian portion being
of special excellence. In the Cathedral there is a copy of Leonardo da
Vinci's " Last Sui)per." The high altar is very rich, and is furnished
with a splendid service of plate. The Santo Sudario chapel is also worthy
of attention. In the Royal Palace, admission to which can usually be
obtained, the rooms and staircases are handsome, but the point which is of
greatest interest is the armoury. The collection it contains is of consider-
able interest. Among other things here may be seen the sword worn by
Najioleon at Marengo. Here also are two suits of armour of great beauty,
inlaid. In the large saloon is a shield of the work of Bcnvenuto Cellini,
under a glass case.

343

-«^^

MILAN.

The principal points of interests at Milan are these. First, the Church of
Santa Maria della Grazio, in the refectory of which is the far-famed " Last
Supper." It is a fresco, and the wall on which it was painted being damp,
comparatively little of the original beauty and vigour of the painting is now
to be seen. There is probably no picture better known : it has been copied
and re-copied, etched, and engraved, in all forms so as to bring it clearly
before all classes ; the original study for the head of our Saviour is in the
Brera. The second point worthy of attention is the Cathedral, and the true
way to estimate its beauty and elaborateness is to ascend to the roof. The
number of rvinnacles is very qrcat, and thcv arc wrought out with ereat care

and beauty, From the platform of the Octagon there is a superb view, of
great extent, said to be one of the finest in the world. Byron thus describes
the Cathedral and its associations : —

'Tis only in the land of fairy dreams

Such marble temples rise, bright in the gleams

Of golden sunshine. Truth now here repeats

What fancy oft has pictured forth in sleep,

And gives substantial form to fairy flights.

How bright ! how beautiful ! the turrets peep

In snowy clouds, while statues crown their heights.

Oft does the night these towers in moonshine steep.

Stirring the soul to poetry's delight.

The third point of interest is La Scala, the great theatre and the great centre
and school for operatic music. Performances only at Carnival time and in
the autumn. At other times the theatre can be seen, fee one franc. In Milan
there are several private palaces, admission to which can only occasionally be
obtained. The Brera is the joint Academy for Science and Art, and contains
a moderately good picture-gallery. The Ambrosian Library is open daily, fee
one franc. In the library there is a large volume of drawings by Leonardo
da Vinci ; of the artist there is a portrait drawn by himself in red. chalk

344

VERONA.

From Milan, the most direct route is by way of Verona to Venice. The
distance between Milan and Verona is io6 miles, and from Verona to
Venice 72; total distance, 178 miles. The whole journey from Milan to
Venice can be accomplished in tv.elvc hours. Most travellers will prefer
to break their journey at Verona, at which town may be seen the most
perfect amphitheatre in the world. It remains at the present day so perfect
in its general condition, that it could be almost immediately utilized for the
shows that took place two thousand years ago. " Over certain of the
arches the old Roman numerals may yet be seen, and there are corridors
and staircases, and subterranean passages for beasts, and winding ways

above ground and below, as when the fierce thousands hurried in and out
intent upon the bloody shows of the arena." At Verona it is necessar)' to
remember Shakespeare's plays, for have we not the "Two Gentlemen of
Verona?" and is not its memory rendered immortal by the play of " Romeo
and Juliet?" At the southern extremity of the city they show the Tomb of
Juliet — admission half-a-franc. The house of the Capulets is in the street
of San Sebastian via Capello. It is a miserable inn, with the sign of a
large red hat. In the Pia/za Signori is the statue of Dante, who took
refuge here after he left Florence. The Campanile of the Church of San
Zenone is very fine. It is at the western extremity of the city, near the Brescia
Gate. In the cathedral is the celebrated picture of "The Assumption,"
by Titian ; it is in the first chapel on the left. The Church of St. Giorgio
is celebrated for its pictures. Two may be specially mentioned, " Tiic
Baptism of Christ," by Tintoretto, and "The Martyrdom of St. George," by
Paul Veronese. The last-mentioned painter was a native of Verona, and
thus his name.

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VENICE.

The snows and rains from the Alps discharge their waters into the Adriatic,
and when the six rivers meet form a broad lagoon. Numerous small
islands arose from its surface, and these islands, linked together by bridges,
and made into perfect water-ways, embellished by rich buildings, and alive
with commercial activity, constituted the framework and setting of Venice.
Small islands, offshoots as it were of the original cluster, stretch far out to
sea, and are remarkable for their widely different peculiarities. San
Lazzaro, about two miles from Venice, is the spot where Byron studied the
Armenian language, and where the monks, who are in possession, work for
their country and its literary uprising. Murano, about the same distance
to the north of Venice, is the home of the glass manufacture, for which
Venice is renowned, and will well repay a visit. The Lido is becoming the
seaside place for the Venetians, and for that cosmopolitan crowd that visit
Venice every year. At this island are to be found good bathing, fresh air,
and pleasant hotels. It is the seaside suburb of Venice. Some thirty
miles off is the island of Chioggia, which formed the prize of battle between
the two cities when Venice and Genoa were struggling for mastery. The
one point of interest in going by steamer to this island is that it brings
into clear view those giant walls, about thirty feet high and forty feet wide,
built by the Venetians to restrain the destructive power of the sea. These
walls tell even more distinctly than her art treasures how resolutely and
unflinchingly Venice fought her way to her position as the Queen of
the Adriatic. In Venice itself the typical beauty and charm of the city are
to be seen with the greatest distinctness on the Grand Canal. The great
and splendid architectural outlines of its palaces, mellowed by age and en-
riched by coloured marbles, stand out with a softness and beauty that have
won all lovers of arts and extorted admiration from the most widely differ-
ing minds. The impression left upon Byron has found expression in those
famous lines :

" I stood in Venice — on the Bridge of Sighs —

A palace and a prison on each hand ;
I saw from out the wave her structures rise

As from the stroke of the enchanter's wand.
A thousand years their cloudy wings expand

Around me, and a dying glory smiles
O'er the far times, when many a subject land

Looked to the winged Lion's marble piles,

"When Venice sate in state, throned on her hundred isles."

These few lines give very vividly many of the more salient peculiarities
of Venice itself. They epitomize the fact, thought and sentiment of its
history and present condition. For a visitor to familiarize himself perfectly
with Venice it is necessary to have clearly in his mind what are its more
especial features, and they may be roughly divided into the following
heads : —

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Views on the Grand Canal,

The Place of St. Mark, churches, &c.,

The Doge's Palace,

The Academy of the Fine Arts,

Houses of Celebrated Men,

Salvini Glass \Vorks, and

The Islands in the Lagoon.

The Grand Canal is the great highway of Venice, having along its two
sides houses, palaces, churches, and public buildings. On its surface may
be seen innumerable gondolas darting hither and thither, and here during
the fashionable hours may be seen the aristocracy of Venice. To obtain a
thorough appreciation of its beauty it should be visited in the afternoon and
at night. The Grand Canal is two miles long, and divides Venice into two
unequal portions. It may here be mentioned that the gondolas are to
Venice what a cab is to a Londoner, the best and cheapest mode of loco-
motion. The fares are not high, being one franc for one hour, and fifty
centimes for every hour after, or five francs for the whole day of ten
hours.

The Place of St. Mark, the largest open space in Venice, is, roughly
speaking, a square, and the finest thing of the kind in Europe. It is the
great place of resort in the evening. It is surrounded on three sides by
colonnades, joining arcades of arches, the fourth side being open to the sea.
If a visitor enters the square from the west, facing him is the Campanile,
and beyond is the church of St. Mark, with its splendid cascade, its wild
horses, and its curiously eastern domes. The Campanile is the bell tower
of the church, and should be ascended so as to obtain a full view of the
city and its surroundings. The best time is early morning, or, failing that,
towards sunset. In the Place of St. Mark are the two monolith pillars of
oriental granite, red and grey. The red column bears the marble statue of
St. Theodore, the protector of the Republic, whilst the grey column bears
the winged Lion of St. Mark. Here also is the home of the white pigeons
of St. Mark. The birds are very tame ; they are quite a feature of the
place, and are fed every day at two o'clock.

The church of St. Mark is built in the shape of a Greek cross and occu-
pies all the eastern side of the Piazza. There are three doors of metal inlaid
with silver leading into the church, that on the right having been taken
from the mosque of St. Sophia at Constantinople. The interior of the
church is even more beautiful than the exterior, and is thus described by
Mr. Ruskin :— " There opens before us a vast cave hewn out into the form of
a cross and divided into shadowy aisles by many pillars. Round the domes
of its roof the light enters only through narrow apertures like stars • and
here and there a ray or two from some far away casement wanders into the
darkness and casts a narrow phosphoric stream upon the waves of marble i

that heave and fall in a thousand colours upon the floor. What else there
is of light is from torches or silver lamps burning ceaselessly in the recesses

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JOHN BELLINI

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of the chapels ; the roof sheathed with gold, and the polished walls covered
with rich alabaster, give back at every curve and angle some feeble gleaming
to the flames." This description fairly enough ushers in the general beauty .
of the interior. To fill in the details would occupy more space than is at
our command : suffice it to say, that the marbles with which it is enriched
have been gathered from all nations, whilst the mosaics are the most
brilliant in the world. St. Mark's must be seen and studied to be appre-
ciated to its full value.

The church of Santa Maria della Salute is built on 1,200,000 piles, and
contains in the ante-room of the sacristy Titian's celebrated painting of " St.
Mark and four Saints." In the sacristy is the "Marriage at Cana," said to
be the masterpiece of Tintoretto, and one of the three pictures which he
signed, the other two are " The Crucifixion " and " The Miracle of the
Slave " in the Church of St. Roch.

The church of Gli Scalzi is close to the railway, and is a magnificent mass
of coloured marble, precious stones, and mosaics. The effect is gorgeous,
and as it is almost unique should be visited. There is a fine picture by
Bellini behind the high altar. There are numerous other churches, most of
which contain some special attraction, that of the Friari, for instance, con-
tains the monuments raised to Titian and Canova.

The Doge's Palace, interesting from its past association with the old rulers
of Venice, and also from the large number of fine pictures which still adorn
its walls. From the central window (under picture No. 19, by Tintoretto),
there is a fine view of the lagoon and islands.

Academy of Fine Arts, open daily, usually from nine to three. It faces
the Grand Canal near the Iron Bridge, and contains a marvellous collec-
tion of pictures, principally of the Venetian School. It has a series of
twenty rooms. In Room II., No. 24, there is the "Assumption," by
Titian ; see also No. 35, the first picture, on the same subject, by Titian.
Room XV. contains a large number of fine pictures.

Venice is rich in associations of celebrated men. Here were born, or lived,
or died, Titian and Tintoretto, Vittoria and Canova, Sansovino and Palladio,
Giorgione and Tasso, Cardinal Bembo, Marco Polo and Byron, and some of
their dwellings are still pointed out. At the Palace Mocenigo on the
Grand Canal Byron lived for some time, and it was here that he wrote
" Beppo," first canto of " Don Juan," " Sardanapalus," &c.

Titian's House, Calle di S. Cancino.

Tintoretto's House, Campo dei Mori.

Marco Polo's House, Corte del Sabbion.

Othello's House, Palazzo Moro Campo del Carmine.

One of the manufactures of Venice which has outlived all changes is the
manufacture of glass. There is the Salvini factory in Venice itself, and there
are the factories on the island of Murano, the museum of which contains
splendid examples both ancient and modern.

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BOLOGNA.

From Venice to Bologna is a step on the route to Pisa and Florence, and
it aftords a pleasant resting-place and an agreeable change. At Bologna
there is much to be seen, for this city is full of old world teachings and
middle age memories. Here are Etruscan treasures which have no equal
in Europe in fulness or in suggestiveness. They are to be seen at the
Archiginnasio Antico from lo to 4. Here also are the churches, some 160
in number, but three or four especially worth seeing. Here also are the
towers celebrated for their height, and the magnificent views to be obtained
from their summit. It is not a little singular that several of these towers
lean much in the same way as the Tower of Pisa. The purpose for which

these towers were erected is not known, and is ditticult lo conceive. They
pass into the same category of riddles as the Round Towers of Ireland.
But beyond these more material objects, Bologna has a reputation for both
music and art. In the season, an opera at Bologna is a musical treat.
The same may be said all the year rounil with respect to the .Academy, for
here are the pictures from the men whose names are intimately associated
with the Bolognese School. On the walls of the Academy are a large
number of paintings by the Carracci, Guido, and others ; and here also is
celebrated picture of St. Cecilia, by Raphael. The name of the painter is
attached to each frame. There are eight rooms, and the Academy is open
daily from 9 to 3. Bologna is celebrated for its arcades, and the one which
leads to the Church of the Madonna de S. Luca is three miles long, and
forms a pleasant covered way. The church itself is exceedingly beautiful,
and the \-iew from the summit of the mount on which it stands is one of the
finest in this part of Italy, and combines the Ali)s. the .\ppenines, and the

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Adriatic. The churches most worth seeing in Bologna are S. Dominico, which
contains a large number of fine paintings, one over the altar, by Guido, of spe-
cial excellence; S. Giacomo Maggiore — here is the masterpiece of Francesco
Francia, the subject being " The Virgin with Saints and Angels ; " this
church is celebrated for the number and quality of its paintings ; in the
church of S. Petronio are some very fine examples of coloured glass in
chapels 4 and 9 ; in the latter the designs are by Michael Angelo ; the
church of S. Stefano, the cloisters are small, but beautiful. There are
several palaces at Bologna ; we will mention two : — the Palazzo Publico,
celebrated for its staircase ; and the Palazzo Pepolii, a handsome building,
the gateways of which are richly ornamented. The University at Bologna
has a long list of great names associated with it, but the one by which it
will be longest remembered is that of Galvani, whose discover}' has given his
name to a good scientific principle — Galvanism.

It has been said that Bologna is rich in Etruscan treasures, but how rich
only those who have seen them can fairly understand. These antiquities
were found in the cemetery in 1S71, and are altogether so remarkable, that
we will venture to quote from a recent author, who says : — " There is in the
middle of the cemetery a modern chapel, in the course of some excavations
under which it was discovered that the locality had been used as a place
of interment from a period of extremely remote antiquity. There must be
something peculiar in the clay soil, for the skeletons of the dead have been
found /// situ like fossils in marl, in excellent condition, and with skill and
care are capable of being removed and exhibited. Accordingly, twelve
such skeletons are to be seen at the Archiginnasio of Bologna, under glass.

Vases and bronzes of the kind we have been so long familiar with

are exhibited side by side with objects of a style quite novel and extraordi-
nary A bronze urn, two feet high, encircled by four or five tiers of

figures in extraordinary attire, affords a crucial instance of what I venture
to describe as an hitherto unexampled style of ancient art."'

From Bologna to Ravenna and back can be readily accomplished in our
way. The journey is about four hours either way. At Ravenna there are
two celebrated pictures by Guido, one, " The falling of the Manna,"' at the
cathedral, and in the sacristy is the picture of " Elijah fed by the Ravens."
Here also is a wonderful throne of ivory. The church of St. Vitali is rich
and ornate, containing splendid mosaics which are of great historic interest,
as they represent the court of Justinian and Theodora. To many the
object which will possess the greatest attraction is the tomb of Dante, which
is close by the church of S. Francisco, and which we have engraved as a
side-piece to our view of Verona. Byror s house is close by the tomb, and
he resided at Ravenna for some months.

From Bologna to Florence is a very frequent route, but it seems to us
better to proceed to Pisa and return to Florence, paying a flying visit to
Leghorn.

352

PISA.

At Pisa there are the four monuments, consisting of the Cathedral, the
Baptistery, the Leaning Tower, and the Campo Santo : of these four the
Leaning Tower is the most remarkable, but each has some special excel-
lence to render it worthy of attention. The Cathedral itself is magnificent ;
it is built of white and coloured marbles, and richly ornamented through-
out. The swinging-lamp in the nave is credited with having given to Galileo
the idea of the pendulum. The roof is exceedingly rich, and the high altar
of lapis-lazuli, the crucifix, pulpit, altars, and stalls, are all of great beauty,
and are attributed to celebrated artists. Throughout the Cathedral there is
abundant evidence of the great position Pisa had formerly held, and tends

to render its present desolation more forcible and impressive. The Bap-
tistery is a beautiful circular building constructed entirely of marble. The
great peculiarity is its wonderful echo. The attendant sounds four notes,
and the result is a burst of harmony which blends and repeats itself as it
dies softly and sweetly away. Before the sound is lost the four notes are
repeated, and the two echoes intermingle, producing a delicious effect.
The Leaning Tower is i8o feet high — or nearly as high as the Monument
at London Bridge — and is 13 feet out of the perpendicular. The Campo
Santo is most remarkable for its old frescoes and sculptures. Beyond these
four monuments, as they are generally called, there are the churches, the
]ialaces, and the academy. In the Academy the pictures are not numerous,
nor, having regard to the general profusion of talent throughout Italian Art,
do they call for much comment, but they afford an opportunity tor a plea-
sant change. Among the churches the one best worth seeing is S. Caterina;
the effect of the interior is grand and impressive. Of the palaces, the one
which will excite most sympathy is that of the Palaz/o Lanfraochi. from the

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Leghorn.

fact that Byron made it a resting-place. Galileo was born at Pisa, and they
show the house and room. Over the door is placed a marble slab on which
is engraved, " Here was born Galileo Galilei, Feb. i8th, 15O4.''

LEGHORN.

This town retains the stamp of its origin and the conditions of its exis-
tence. It belongs to our every-day world and is full of activity, energy, and
bustling life. It is a free port and a commercial city, and it owes its vitality
alike to its business associations and its own natural capacities. In the
middle ages the Medici with a wise prescience made it a safe retreat and
privileged resting place for those who were outcasts by reason of persecution
or civil war. It thus attracted to itself all the more energetic brains that
were compelled to exile either from religious or political animosity. Under
such conditions the men who found a home here threw themselves into its
trading associations, and Leghorn grew into power and position. These
qualities remain in full force to-day, and in the changes which are taking place
in connection with the traffic through the Suez Canal, this port shares with
others in a rapidly increasing prosperity. This prosperity is everywhere
apparent and is visible in the broad streets, in the good shops, and the
general modern aspect of the town. It belongs to the life of to-day. The
streets are broad and open, but the town has the special advantage of a great
natural position, its climate being favourable all the year round. It has a
cool breeze from the sea in the summer, and it enjoys in common \nth most
Mediterranean cities the charm of winter conditions only to be found along
its coast. These climatic advantages tell largely in favour of Leghorn ; for
during the summer months large numbers of visitors from Florence, Rome,
and other cities resort to it for bathing and recreation. Leghorn can boast
of few works of art, but it affords a pleasant change from the sense of deso-
lation and decay too apparentinmany of the more celebrated cities of Italy.

From Leghorn there are steamers for Civitta Vecchia, Naples, Nice,
Marseilles, &c. To reach Civita Vecchia takes about twelve hours, and as
the steamer keeps near to the coast, the var}-ing phases of the scenery afford
an agreeable break to the monotony of sea travelling. Civitta Vecchia is
about fifty miles from Rome, with which there is railway communication. The
railway also runs direct from Leghorn to Rome, and the route is both
cheaper and quicker. In tra\-elling by rail it may be as well to remember
that Orbetello, one of the stations on the line, is only one and a half miles
from Monte Argentaro, from which can be obtained magnificent views.

At Cornetto also there are the subterranean grottos, some of which contain
paintings and decorations. In passing up from Civita Vecchia for Rome,
from the railway may be seen the Alban Mountains and Sabine Hills. For
some distance the train skirts the city walls until it at length passes through
an opening, and enters Rome.

354

FLORENCE.

The Italians have a love for designating their favourite cities with pet
names, and thus Florence is referred to by them as the " Fairest City in
the World." It lies in the valley of the Arno, surrounded by charming
scenery, embracing gentle hills, lofty mountains, and rich valleys, to which
may be added a lovely climate. For the last half-century it has been the
resting-place of a colony of English ; whilst to winter in Florence has been
the eager hope of large numbers of our fair countrywomen. Its attraction
is to be found in its climatic advantages and its wondrous art treasures.
There is, probably, no city in the world where such rare combined advan-
tages are to be found. In no other place are there to be found galleries

•.S^^ertr

like the Ufi/./.i and Pitti. In no other city are the memories of great men
so spirit-stirring and so numerous: Michael Angelo and Dante, Machiavelli
and Galileo, these names alone would suffice to stamp on the city the
lines of greatness. To these may be added that long list of artists whose
works are to-day to be found scattered over the galleries of Europe. The
treasures of art thus produced are enveloped in an atmosphere that bids
them live and enthrall whilst they live. It is to this and other kindred
advantages that Florence owes its wide-spread and justly-deserved i)opu-
larity. At Florence there are many sights worth seeing : we purpose to
name very briefly those that are the most remarkable. They consist of the
Cathedral (I)uomo), the Baptistery, Loggia dei Lanzi, the National
Museum, and the Palaces of Ufiz/i and Pitti. These two last are (juite
unique in the numl)er, value, and beauty of their art treasures, being
probably uneciuallcd in Europe.

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The Cathedral (II Duomo). — The general appearance has been thus
described by Nathaniel Hawthorne : — " 1'he entrance to the Duomo being
just across the Piazza, I went in there after leaving the Baptistery, and was
struck anew — for this is the third or fourth visit — with the dim grandeur
of the interior, lighted as it is almost exxlusively by painted windows
which seem to me worth all the variegated marbles of St. Peter's. The
Florentine Cathedral has a spacious and lofty nave and side aisles divided
from it by pillars ; but there are no chapels along the aisles, so that there
is far more breadth and freedom of interior in proportion to the actual
space than is usual in churches. . . . The dome sits as it were upon three
smaller domes — smaller but still great — beneath which are three vast
niches, forming the transepts of the Cathedral and the tribune behind the
high altar. All round these dome-covered arches or niches are high and
narrow windows, crowded with saints, angels, and all manner of beautiful
shapes that turn the common daylight into a miracle of richness and
splendour. It should be remembered in connection with this Cathedral
that its double cupola was the first ever raised in Europe."

The Campanile, or Bell Tower, stands apart from the Church. It was
designed by Giotto. It is 276 feet high, and is covered with variegated
marble to the top. The ascent is very easy and the view from the summit
is very tine. The whole structure is covered with tablets, statues, &:c., and
has a soft delicate effect.

The Baptistery is also apart from the Church, and held a position distinct
from the Cathedral, it being the centre for all baptisms belonging to the
city or its suburbs. As the Campanile is the representation of Giotto's
work, so the gates of the Baptistery are the examples of the genius of
Ghiberti. These gates were thought so highly of at the time, that Michael
Angelo pronounced them to be worthy to be the gates of Paradise. The
doors are of great excellence and remarkable beauty. They are in bronze,
and casts of them are to be seen in the South Kensington Museum. The
Loggia de Lanzi is filled with some of the finest sculpture in the world.
It contains the "Perseus" by Benvenuto Cellini. A tale is told that Michael
Angelo, in his old age, used to sit at the right of the entrance, so that he
could see his celebrated statue of David which was then in the Loggia, and
that he amused himself by tracing a profile which may still be marked on
the rough stone.

Gallery of the Ufizzi. — Amid a series of wonderful sights in connection
with the Ufizzi Gallery, probably the most wonderful is the small room
called the Tribune It is said to contain the choicest works of the best
masters, and is the richest collection in Florence. Those whose time is
limited should devote special care and attention to this portion of the
collection. It contains five groups of sculpture, consisting of the world-
famed "Venus de Medici," "The Apollo," "The Wrestlers," "The
Dancing Faun," and "The Grinder." On entering the room most of these
will be recognized as old friends. They have been copied in marble,

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Florence.

reproduced by casts, wrought into bronze ornaments, and generally
utilized throughout the civilized world. Their marvellous perfection
comes out all the more strongly under minute inspection. They grow by
examination, and are more impressive the longer they are studied. They
must be seen to be valued at their proper worth. No engraving or photo-
graph can by any possibility render the subtle and perfect finish which
belongs to them. The paintings in the room are said to be equally
remarkable with the statuary. There are here several pictures by Raphael,
the one 112 7 the only one he ever painted on canvas. Close to this, 11 29,
there is the Madonna with the Goldfinch ; there are also several others.
Here also are pictures of surpassing beauty by Titian, Guido, Correggio,
Paul Veronese, and others, the whole forming a collection of extreme
beauty, finish, and value.

One special point in connection with the Ufizzi Gallery is the more
remarkable examples of the Tuscan School which may be seen there. The
most celebrated names with the pictures are here appended : — Lionardo da
Vinci's Head of the Medusa, No. 1159; Fra Angelico, Altar Piece, 11 84;
Fra Bartolommeo, Madonna and Child, 1235. Besides the pictures and
statues enumerated, there is the Medici Vase in the Room of the Painters
— the cabinet of the gems — the room itself being very beautiful. In the
case No. 6 there is a rock crystal cup by Benvenuto Cellini, a number of
vases of Lorenzo the Magnificent, and a variety of treasures which once
belonged to the family of the Medici. Close by is the Hall of the Cameos.
Here will be seen a bust of Dante, taken after death ; cases of Etruscan
gold ornaments, and of ancient glass. Among the cameos, numbering
some three thousand, the most perfect are pure Greek work, or Greek work
associated with the Roman supremacy. They date from 500 B.C. to the
second century of our own era.

The most conspicuous examples for beauty and finish may be enume-
rated — Nos. 6, 20, 24, 48, 54, 70, 106, and 109, In the Hall of Baroccio
is a centre table of very fine Florentine mosaic. In the Hall of Niobe are
two fine paintings by Rubens, and a series of marble statues, found at
Rome, some of which are of great beauty and interest. In the Hall of
the Bronzes, No. 424 is very perfect, and of great excellence ; it is named
" The Idol," In the Gallery Feroni, which is the last room in the corridor,
there are woodcuts — old and rare— original drawings by Michael Angelo,
and a painting of considerable beauty by Carlo Dolci, From the windows
of this room may be seen the Boboli Gardens, There is near here a long
corridor opening from the far end of the passage, which links together the
Ufizzi with the Pitti Palaces. It will be impossible to give particulars of
the many beautiful pictures on its walls. We will mention three only, as
being the most remarkable. In the Hall of Saturn there is a painting by
Raphael, " The Vision of Ezekiel," No, 174, In the Hall of Jupiter is the
Madonna of Raphael, No. 266 ; whilst in the Hall of Justice is a portrait
of Oliver Cromwell, No. 408. It is impossible to particularize the large

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number of other great pictures painted by such artists as Rembrandt,
Titian, Andrea del Sarto, Rubens, Lionardo da Vinci, and others. In the
Hall of Prometheus is a mosaic table of great beauty. Throughout the
Pitti Palace there is a catalogue in each room, for the convenience of visitors.
The beautiful Boboli Gardens adjoin the palace, and from the rising ground
can be obtained a fine general view of Florence. The Grotto in the gardens
is embellished with four statues by Michael Angelo. We have now enume-
rated roughly and rapidly the more special features connected with the
Ufizzi and Pitti palaces. There are several other palaces, each of which
has some special feature, and all worth seeing. Thus the Palazzo Corsini
is in the Via del Parione, the Palazzo Ricardi in the Via Cavour Palazzo
Strozzi, Via Tornabuoni and the Palazzo Torrigiani in the Piazza de' Mozzi.
The pictures are good throughout, and in the last-named palace they are
of special excellence. Beyond the palaces and the cathedral, the churches
of Florence will well repay a visit. First among them is Santa Croce, the
so-called " Westminster Abbey of Florence." The words of Byron will
best convey the impression left upon the beholder :—

" In Santa Croce's holy precincts lie

Ashes which make it holier, dust which is,

Even in itself, an Immortality,

Though there was nothing save the past and this,

The particle of those sublimities

Which have relapsed to chaos : here repose

Angelo's, Alfieri's bones, and his

The starry Galileo, with his woes ;

Here Machiavelli's earth returned to whence it rose."

Within this church are to be seen the tombs of Michael Angelo, Dante,
Machiavelli, and others. Two marble statues on the right and left of the
altar, of Lorenzo and Giuliano de Medici, are by Michael Angelo, and of
very high excellence. They possess that one quality of true art — they
live — from underneath the shadow of the Helmet peers out pondering
resolute thought; and whilst watching it, one almost forgets that it is
wrought in marble. The statue of the Madonna and Child near the altar
is also by Michael Angelo. The Medici chapel is magnificent. Among
the churches more especially worthy of being seen may be named S. Annun-
ziata, San Michele, S. Maria Novella, S. Spiriti, and Ogni Santa. To par-
ticularize the others wtjuld be waste of time. Each one of those named
contains some point of interest. Beyond the churches and the palaces
there is the Academy of the Fine Arts, the National Museum, and the
Museum of Natural Histor}', which contains the Temple of Galileo, in which
his telescopes and other astronomical instruments are kept. In Florence
also may be seen the houses of the celebrated men who lend a lustre to its
history. Michael Angelo's house is No. 64, Via Ghibellina ; CeUini's house
is in the Via del Pergola ; Dante's house No. 2, Via S. Martino ; Galileo's
house No. 13, Via della Costa; Machiavelli's house No. 16, Via dei
Guicciardini.
*) 360 Q

THE SOUTH OF FRANCE AND ITALY.

Those who have once visited the south of France or the borders of the
Mediterranean, find as winter approaches a passionate longing to bask once
more in the sunshine of those favoured locahties. From the midst of London
fogs there rises up the vision of glowing skies, brilliant flowers, and the rich
glory of an English summer, intensified by the deep blue of the waters of the
Mediterranean. The results are commensurate with the temjjtation. Each
year the throng increases of the educated, the wealthy, and the luxurious, and
from Paris to Naples every express that flies south carries a heavy freight
of English visitors. Some pause at Dijon, a pleasant spot at which to
break their journey; others, with stronger health and stronger will, do not
linger until they reach Marseilles. It should however be remembered that
Avignon has claims on travellers who wish to see those places which have
become famous either by association with the memories of celebrated men
or from connection with the great events of the past.

At one period in the history of the Roman Church, Europe was scandalized
by the exhibition of two popes, each fulminating excommunication against
the other. The Italian pope at Rome was challenged as to the validity of
his authority by the French pope at Avignon, and the Palace of the Popes
reared at the latter named city attests the permanancy as well as the gravity of
the feud. After some centuries of disruption, peace was restored, and Rome
once more became the recognized centre and head of the Catholic Church.
At Avignon the Palace of the Popes contains some points of great interest.
It is at the present time occupied as a military store, and anyone who
desires to learn in a vigorous way what kind of life and thought it represents
cannot do better than visit its interior. Let him ask to see the torture-
room ; he will have to mount a long series of steps until at length he will
reach an apartment singularly well fitted for the purpose from which it
derives its name. It has a large stone floor and bare walls, across the
centre of which runs a huge iron bar, and above the iron bar an immense
funnel chimney. In this apartment, far removed from all human aid, the
wildest shrieks of agony would die out like the sighing of the wind. The
bar in the centre formed the beam to which was attached those who were
doomed to perish by fire ; the smoke, flame, and incense of burning human
flesh ascending through the giant chimney openin?^ lJ the blue sky high
above. We live in a more pleasant age, but this sight has its teachings
for both Catholic and Protestant.

At Avignon John Stuart Mill was in the habit of passing the winter, and
it is there he now lies buried. From Avignon to Marseilles is but a short
run of some thirty miles.

By diligence from Avignon, and passing on the way the famous Pont du
Gard — the remains of an aqueduct constructed by the Romans, the traveller
will reach the ancient town of Nimes. Here the Romans established a

36.

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'^ South of /'Vance and Italy. ^

settlement and built the amphitheatre, which is still in a state of good

preservation.

The Maison Carrie, or square house, a temple, also of Roman origin,
is in ])erfect i)reservation, and surrounded by thirty fluted columns of great
size. \\\ the Maison Carrce may be seen tlie picture by Delaroche, of
" Cromwell and Charles I.'' Among other points of interest may be men-
tioned the two Roman gates, Pont d'Auguste and Pont de France, and the
Temple of Diana in the Jardin de la Fontaine.

Marseilles is the great trading port of France in connection with the
Mediterranean, and is intimately associated at the present time with the
names of Thiers and Gambetta, the former of whom was born here in 1797.
The principal points of interest in connection with Marseilles are the Docks,
the Palace Longchamps, remarkable for its fine architecture, and its fine
gallery of paintings : the museum at the Chateau BouUy, open on Sundays
and Thursdays, and the Church of Notre Dame de la Garde, which is
situate on an eminence, and affords a fine view of the city and the port.
When thus seen, Marseilles makes a grand view; on the left are the remains
of the old city, pointed out as being of Greek origin, beneath are the fine
boulevards and extensive docks, whilst beyond is the Chateau d'lf at the
entrance of the harbour, the scene of Alexander Dumas' " Monte Christo,"
whilst far and wide spread the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean.
Marseilles is a great point of embarkation for Algeria.

Cannes occupies one of those sites on the borders of the Mediterranean
which have an ever-increasing reputation for beauty, pleasant surroundings,
and a delicious climate. When London is clouded in fog, here may be
found bright sunshine, flowers in full bloom, and an atmosphere whose
pleasant buoyancy gives a positive charm to life. The name of Cannes is
intimately associated with the memory of the late Lord Brougham, whose
residence adjoins the grounds of the Hotel Beau Site, and who lies buried
in the English cemeter}-. The town of Cannes is much frequented by
English visitors, and is probably the most distinctively English locality on
the borders of the Mediterranean. The climate is mild and equable, and the
temperature rarely falls below 55 in the winter months. It is much recom-
mended for pulmonary complaints. The environs of Cannes abound in
opportunities for walking or driving excursions. Anyone who desires to
obtain a good general idea of Cannes, can readily do so by driving west-
ward along the Frejus Road and ascending to the Croix des Gardes,
returning by the shore. Eastward along the shore is La Croisette, where
may be seen the famous " Jardin des Hesp^rides," noted for the orange
trees which are here cultivated for the purposes of perfumery. From
Cannes the railway runs past Antibes to Nice, and of the last-named
place it may be said, that what Brighton is to London, Nice is to Paris.
It is a town at once bright, bracing, and brilliant. In the full swing of the
season, the Promenade des Anglais, which takes the place of the King's I

Road at Brighton, and runs by the side of the sea. is crowded with carriages |

?i — . s^CJ

South of France and Italy. ^

from end to end, in an almost impassable throng. Here are large numbers
of English, but the great majority are French, and they enjoy life as they
enjoy it on the Boulevards of Paris or at the Bois.

The general aspect of Nice is shown in our engraving. Along the shores,
the main promenade, are numerous villas of great beauty, whilst the roadway
is flanked by palm trees, which give an Oriental appearance to the locality.
Nice during the winter months is one of the most enjoyable places in the
world, to those who are in good health. The air is fresh and light, whilst
the surroundings are exceedingly pleasant. Up the rocky bed of the
Reglion is the Grotto of St. Andrd, well worth seeing. Three miles distant
up the hills is the old Roman town of Cimiez, which contains remains of an
amphitheatre, a temple and baths. Within a short walk of three miles is
Villafranche, situated on a bay of great beauty ; the walk itself is exceed-
ingly pleasant by road over Mount Boron, the sea being in view all the way.
At times the sunset effects at Nice are exceedingly brilliant, every variety of
tint, from molten gold to purple azure, being blended together. The
buildings of most importance are the Cathedral, the Public Library, and the
Museum, the last being open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Within a few minutes by rail are Monaco and Monte Carlo. At Monaco
the Palace is shown on Tuesdays from 2 to 5 p.m. At Monte Carlo the
tables form the great object of attraction, and here may be seen all those
varieties of life that congregate round the green board. Winner and loser,
extreme exultation and extreme depression, the shuffle of the cards, the cry
of the croupier, the clink of the gold and the glare of the light, all blend into a
common sense of feverish uncertainty, profoundly at variance with the sweet
beauty and soothing calm of nature outside. The grounds are beautifully
laid out, and every effort is made to make the most of the splendid site.

From Monaco to Mentone is a very short distance, and the drive along
the road is one of great beauty. The road rises and falls, bringing at every
turn new points of view which add to the charm of the air and the sense
of buoyancy and life which it imparts. Mentone has risen rapidly into
appreciation as a winter residence ; it is more retiring than Nice, and less
bracing. It is considered one of the best spots on the Riviera for a winter
residence. The whole neighbourhood teems with opportunities for excur-
sions both to mountain and valley scenery. The drive along the coast to
Bordighera is a continuation of the same general quaUties of scenery that
characterizes the road between Monaco to Mentone. In the same way it may
be said that Bordighera and San Remo very closely resemble Mentone.
There are individual points of difference, but the same general characteristics
of climate, foliage, and beauty are common to them all. One point of
special interest in respect of San Remo may be mentioned, — it is very
clean. The town is also very old, and has a curious effect, the houses for
the most part rest upon arches, and the streets run in many places under
vaulted passages.

364

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V3^ — s*e^:.

GENOA.

Genoa has been called the City of Palaces, and its earlier glory belongs
to a time when Venice was Queen of the Adriatic, and Constantinople was
at the height of its power. During the middle ages the wealth of the East,
equally with the religious fervour of the West, found its transit through, or
its resting place near, the waters of the Mediterranean. At that epoch
Genoa rose by its natural position and its commercial enterprise to be the
home of merchant princes. The palaces which line its old and narrow
streets attest at once the wealth and taste of those who were located there.
In the fierce heat of an Italian summer the very narrowness of the streets
possessed an advantage, by forming a natural and permanent protection

against the strong rays of the sun. Genoa has earned a great and just
reputation for its gold and silver filagree work, also its velvet and lace. In
the city there are a large number of palaces which contain objects of great
interest or beauty. Many of them possess extremely good collections of
pictures. The Pallazzo del Municipio contains some portraits, &c., of
Columbus. The Palazzo Doria is beautifully situated, and its gardens
extend to the sea. The Palazzo Durazzo, the Palazzo Reale, the Palazzo
Balbi, the Palazzo Bianco, and the Palazzo Risso all have some points
worthy of being seen, either in the shape of good collections of pictures,
splendour of architecture, or handsomeness. The Palazzo Spinola is one
of the best examples of the older palaces. The churches at Genoa more
especially noteworthy are St. Ambrogio, with its pictures by Rubens and
Guido, the Annunziata, Filippo Nero, and San Siro. There is a good
promenade in the early morning by the central part of the harbour, adjoin-
ing the Via Carlo Alberto.

',66

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i^tT'^

ROME.

Thekk are many beautiful cities in Italy, but no one that combines so many
points of interest, teaching, and beauty as that of Rome. It contains
within itself the remains of Imperial Rome. It embraces within itself the
memories of those days when Greek thought, Greek art, and Greek philosophy
formed the manners, swayed the minds, and created the fashions of the
Roman rulers. It contains within itself relics of that day when Christianity
was budding into life and men and women perished in the great arena of
the Colosseum, whose shattered walls still rear their massive stones in
solemn grandeur. It contains within itself that fane towards which the
aspirations of hundreds of millions of people turn to-day, as the centre of
the universe and the cradle of the sacred teachings of life. It contains to-
day the masterpieces of Raphael, Michael Angelo, and all the illustrious
painters for whom Italy is famous. It contains to-day the sculptured
forms that throb with life, and are instinct alike w ith the genius of the artist
and the people amid whom they sprang. All these and a hundred other
treasures are there : the house of Rienzi and the palace of the Caesars vie in
their claims with the galleries of the Vatican and the interior of St. Peter's.
The arches of Constantine and Titus inxite attention, and take us back to
the period when the early Christians found refuge in the Catacombs, and lived
and died amid the regions of the dead. No charm is absent : all that is
great in art, great in religion, great in that mental force which stamps its im-
press upon the life by which it is surrounded may be found in abundance.
The temptations are as limitless as the conditions with which they deal, and
those who ever see Rome feel their thoughts turn back with an abiding
reverence and an ever-growing appreciation.

What are the most remarkable sights in Rome, and how are they most
readily seen ? It may be difficult, if not impossible, to give an off-hand
and clear answer to these (questions, but considerable time can be saved if
it be clearly recognized what are the special attractions of the great city.
To see Rome thoroughly is a matter of considerable labour, but the more
salient points, as well as the more remarkable objects, may be brought
within a reasonable amount of time if care be taken to work on a clearly
recognized plan. With that object in view the following pages have been
written, and it is believed that all the more celebrated points of interest
have been indicated. There are four distinct groups of subjects: — ist,
those which have reference to old Roman grandeur, and are exemplified by
the various triumphal arches, columns, &c., and by such special illustrative
buildings as the Baths of Caracalla and the Coliseum. 2nd, the early
Christian relics as manifested by the Catacombs of Calixtus, and also the
collection of epitaphs, inscriptions, dvic, &c., as formed at the Lateran
Palace. 3rd, the |ncture galleries and collections of Greek sculpture, as
formed at the various palaces and the Cai)itoline Museum. 4th, the
various churches, including St. Peter's and the Palace of the Vatican.

367

Rome.

Each of these series will afford considerable scope, as each will furnish
immense information and pleasure. To these four groups may be added
that more general and pleasant occupation of seeing life on the fashionable
Pincian Hill, or wandering about the more modern quarter of Rome, not
forgetting to take a look at the excavations of the Palace of the Caesars
on the Palatine Hill. Taking these groups in rotation, the first would
comprise : —

Arch of Titus. Arch of Constantine. Arch of Severus. It was here
that Horace encountered the bore as he records in one of his Satires.
Coliseum. Forum Romanum. Forum and Column of Trajan. The Baths
of Caracalla.

The second group would comprise the Catacombs, and the collection of
epitaphs, figures, and symbols of early Christian worship, as shown in the
Museum at the Lateran Palace, and also at the Vatican.

The third group would comprise : — The Roman palaces, so deservedly
celebrated for their pictures, and would include Barbarini Palace, open
daily; Borghese Palace, daily, except Saturday and Sunday; Colonna Palace,
Monday, Thursday, and Saturday; Doria Palace, Tuesdays and Fridays,
lo till I ; Farnese Palace, Friday ; Sciarra Palace, lo till 4, on Saturdays.
To these should be added the Capitolini Museum, in which, among others,
is the celebrated statue of the Gladiator, rendered famous by Byron's well-
known lines. To these, also, should be added the Villa Borghese and its
grounds. The ancient sculpture here is exceedingly fine.

The fourth group of the Churches embraces St. Peter's and the Palace of
the Vatican. To each of these some time should be given, as they have no
equals. The Vatican collection can only be seen by ticket, obtainable from
the Pope's maggiordomo ; closed on Sundays. The best time to see the
Churches is in the morning, when they are generally open.

Rome, the capital of the kingdom of Italy, and of the Roman Catholic
world, formerly the capital of the Roman and Western Empires, stands to
the east of the Tiber, on the undulating table-land known as the Seven
Hills. The city contains the monuments of three civilizations, which might
be considered separately. There is that of the Roman Empire, occupying
the four hills on the south of the city, and represented by the Colosseum,
the Forums, the arches, walls, baths and roads. There is that of the early
Christian and of the Roman Catholic churches ; and there is also that of
the court, the municipality, and their surroundings. The new Rome
spreads northward, over what, in the Republican period, was an open grassy
plain used for militar}- exercises, and was called the Campus Martius.
Modern Rome may, in a sense, be said to begin where Ancient Rome
ended ; but the memorials of the two ancient civilizations are blended with
the innovations of to-day in startling and impressive confusion.

The traveller usually arrives at Rome by the Central Railway, the termi-
nus of which is to the east of the city. The approach is through an opening
in the wall l)uilt by Aurelian, at a spot about mid-way between the gates

36S

Rome.

known as the Porta Maggiore and the Porta San Lorenzo. Immediately
within the wall a picturesque ruin, overgrown with ivy. is seen on the left :
it is the temple of Minerva Medica. As the train enters the station, a i)art
of the ancient wall of Ser\ius TuUius appears, the excavations for the station
having unhappily necessitated the destruction of a large part of this inte-
resting vestige of antiquity. The present walls of the city extend for a
circuit of about twelve miles. On the outside, owing to the accumulation
of rubbish, they are only fifteen or twenty feet high, but inside they are in
some places fifty feet high. They retain many of their ancient towers and
bastions. There are twenty-four gates.

Supposing the traveller U) arrive by railway,
he will doubtless proceed along the Via Habuino
to what is known as " the Strangers' Quarter,"
near the Porta del Popolo, at the north of the
city. The Piazza del Popolo is the most highly
ornamented square in the city. It is decorated with semicircular terraces,
statues, (Jcc, by Valadier. A granite Egyjitian obelisk, brought in 15S9
from the Circus Maximus, .stands in the centre. On the cast are the
Pincian Gardens, terraced and planted, and now a fashionable drive. The
church of Santa Maria del Popolo is close to the gate, on the site where, it
is said, Nero was buried.

Three principal streets of Rome terminate in the Pia/'/a del Popolo.
That to the left leads to the railway station. Thnt in the centre, the Corso,
passes through the middle of the city to the Fonnn and Capitol. That to
the right bears away towards the Tiber and the west.

The Corso follows the direction of the ancient Via Fl.imini.-i. Up the

369

rim-

'Mp'

Rome.

first street on the left, John Gibson, the eminent English sculptor, resided.
Hard by lived the German poet, Goethe. Pursuing our way along the
Corso, we reach the spot, marked by a tablet on the wall, where the Via
Flaminia was spanned by the triumphal arch of Antoninus Pius. The
colunm of Antoninus was erected to Marcus Aurelius, a.d. 174. It is 125
ft. in height, and is formed of twenty-eight blocks of marble. It is covered
with sculpture in bas-relief.

Behind the post-office is the Piazzi di Monte Citorio, Here is the
Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament. Admission can be
obtained. A little north of the Capitol is the Forum of Trajan. On its

l| !• '^'*^1'''

£Lr- \^^MoM K e A\ ALLo Kp'^it:.'^,; Z-Sb^

northern side stands Trajan's Column covered with bas-reliefs in spiral
series. It is built of thirty-two masses of marble, twenty-one of which form
the shaft, one the capital, and eight the pedestal. The summit can be
reached by 185 steps cut in the solid marble. A statue of St. Peter has
replaced that of Trajan. The whole is 128 ft. high.

The Capitol — identified with the most memorable events in Roman
history — stands on the slope of the Capitoline Hill at the north end of the
Forum. The Forum stands between the Capitoline and Palatine Hills.
The Forum divides ancient Rome from the modern city.

The Palatine Hill, by the time of Alexander Severus, was covered by
palatial edifices that formed the Palace of the Caesars. It was commenced
by Augustus. After the great fire it was rebuilt by Nero, and was called
the Domus Aurea, or the Golden House, and must have been one of the
most magnificent structures the world has seen.

370

[!s..

Rome

' * The imperial palace ; compass huge, and hiyh
The structure ; skill of noblest architects,
With gilded battlements conspicuous far,
Turrets and terraces."

MlLluN.

The Mamertinc Prison is at the corner of the Forum. It is the place
described by Sallust, and here many distinguished prisoners perished.
Tradition states that St. Peter and St. Paul were here confined. Above the
staircase is a hollow, protected by iron bars, said to be the impiess made by
St. Peter's head, when the jailer struck it against the wall. To the left on
leaving the prison is the ancient Church of Sta. Martina and St. Luke. A

THE FORU.M.

little further is the Church of St. Adriano ; in front is the Arch of Septimius
Severus, and behind are the remains of the Temple of Concord, built i:.c.
386, to commemorate the agreement between the Patricians and the
Plebeians. Here Cicero, n.c. 63, delivered his second oration against Cati-
line. Other remains crowd this spot fraught with great historic memories.

Twenty triumphal arches erected in Rome remain. Among these one of
deepest interest is that of Titus, built in honour of his contjuest of Jud;ta,
and his taking of Jerusalem : it is of white marble. The inscription towards
the Forum tells that it was restored by order of I'ius \'II. The alto-reliefs
inside the arch depict two scenes commemorative of the Triumphal Entry of
Titus. On one side is Titus in his chariot drawn by four horses, preceded
by a personification of Rome, and surrounded by senators and lictors
carrying the fasces. On the other are soldiers bearing the chief trophies
brought from Jerusalem the golden table, the silver trumpets, and the
seven-branched candlestick. No Jew will ever pass under this arch.

371

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Rome. ' '''^

The three Corinthian columns that stand out so boldly are the remains
of the Temple of Vespasian ; and the eight Ionic columns are those of the
Temple of Saturn — from the earliest times the public treasury.

The Colosseum (or " Colisseum,"as Byron spells it) received its name in
the middle ages on account of its enormous pro])ortions, which made it a
colossus among buildings. It was called the Flavian Amphitheatre, after
the three emperors of the Flavian family. It was founded about the year
72. It occupies a space of six acres on the site of the ornamental water in
Nero's garden. According to tradition, 30,000 Jewish prisoners were em-
ployed in building it. It was opened by Titus in the year 80, with games
that lasted one hundred days, during which 9,000 wild animals were slain.
Its form is an ellipse measuring 1,848 feet in circumference. Externally
there were three arcades. The seats were in three graduated series, sloping
from the arena to the upper gallery. They accommodated 87,000 spec-
tators. The amphitheatre was designed for the exhibition of wild animals,
which could fight together without danger to the spectators. Gladiatorial
combats were common, and Christians were here condemned to martyrdom.

In the fourteenth century the Colosseum was worked as a quarry for the
sake of the stone and the iron and lead that clamped the stone together.
To-day birds build their nests in the ruins, and the benches are festooned
with grasses, creepers, and flowers.

Three principal streets, as we have seen, terminate at the Piazza del
Popolo : that to the left is the Via Babuino, and leads in the direction of
the Quirinal Hill. Here on the high table land, and on what is considered
the healthiest part of the city. New Rome stands. Here, towards the end
of the sixteenth century, Gregory XIII. directed that the Quirinal Palace
should be built, and it has been since enlarged and improved. Here the
conclave of cardinals elected the popes, and it was from the balcony above
the chief entrance that the name of the new pope was announced. This
palace was the favourite residence of Pius VII. Here he was taken
prisoner by Napoleon I. Here he died in 1823, and from hence in 1849
Pius IX. made his escape to Gaeta.

The Quirinal Palace is now the Royal Palace of the King of Italy. The
state rooms can generally be seen. The Sala Regia, 150 feet in length,
was built by Paul V.

Returning to the Piazza del Popolo, and passing along tne Via di Ripetta,
we skirt the river bank, and cross the Tiber by the bridge of St. Angelo. The
water of the river is of a dirty yellow colour, but the stream is rapid. The
castle of St. Angelo, built by the Emperor Hadrian as an imperial
mausoleum, was long ago turned into a fortress. The mausoleum was
circular in form, nearly 1,000 feet in circumference, and was placed on
a square basement, each side of which measured 247 feet. The face
was covered with massive blocks of pure Parian marble : on the angles
of the basement were groups of men and horses in bronze ; and the summit
was crowned by a colossal marble statue of the founder, the head of which j

3^ — ^^i{^^

Rome.

is in the Vatican Museum. " The gates were of gilt bronze, with gilded
peacocks on the pilasters, two of which are also in the Vatican. Of this
magnificent decoration nothing remains. Of the ancient work, all tliat is
visible from the outside is a portion of the circular wall of the mole formed
of great rocks of ])eperino, on which the outer casing of marble was placed.
The rest, both above and below, is covered by the works of fortification
constructed at various periods." The statues on the summit were flung
down upon the Goths when they besieged the castle in 537. Special
permission, through an ambassador, is required to visit the castle.

The bridge of St. Angelo is not only " a remarkable example of the
solidity and perfection with which the edifices of ancient Rome were con-
structed, but is also a proof of how many would have remained entire to
this day had they not been torn to pieces to supply building material for
the modern city. After resisting the inundations of more than seventeen
centuries, which have thrown down so many bridges built across the Tiber,
it is still as perfect as the day when first opened." (&<? Shakspeare Wood's
excellent " Guide to Ancient and Modern Rome.")

After passing the Castle of St. Angelo, a plain wall is seen on the right,
leading across the moat towards St. Peter's. This is the famous covered
passage from the Vatican^, constructed to afford the popes a means of
escape into the fortress.

We now turn to some of the most remarkable objects connected with
the ecclesiastical history of Rome.

St. Peter's is the largest Christian church in the world. It stands on the
Vatican Hill, on the spot, according to tradition, where the Apostle Peter,
after his crucifixion, was buried ; and, according to fact, where Nero's
Circus stood, and where many of the early Christians were martyred, and
where Constantine, about 330, erected a Basilica. More than a thousand
years passed, when Nicholas V. commenced the present edifice. It advanced
but slowly till the time of Julius II., when the eminent architect Bramante
prepared a new design on the model of a Greek cross. In the reign of
Leo X. the plan was altered to a Latin cross; and again, in 1546, Michael
Angelo, employed by Paul III., returned to the original idea of a Greek
cross, and he designed a dome and a facade like that of the Pantheon.
The front was completed in 1632. One hundred and seventy-six years and
the reigns of twenty-eight Popes passed away, fifteen architects succeeded
each other, and ten millions of money -were expended before the building
of St. Peter's was completed. The fagade is 372 feet in breadth and 152 in
height ; the atrium or vestibule is 235 feet long and 66 high. The nave
is 79 feet wide and 148 high; the aisles are 200 feet long; the internal
diameter of the cupola is 141 feet, and the summit of the cross is 470 feet
above the ground.

The first view of St. Peter's may create disappointment. The alteration
of the design from a Greek to a Latin cross, and the great length of the
nave, places the fagade so far forward as to injure the effect of the view of the

374

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Rome.

dome. Entering the nave, the building seems to grow larger as the eye
gets used to it. " It appears to me," says Mendelssohn, " like some great
work of nature. I never can realize the idea that it is the work of man.
You strive to distinguish the ceiling as little as the canopy of heaven. You
lose all idea of measurement with the eye. When the music commences,
the sounds do not reach you for a long time, but echo and float in the vast
space, so that the most singular and varied harmonies are borne towards
you." The great cupola is double, with a staircase between the inner and
the outer structure. Around the spring of the dome, in letters nearly five
feet in height, runs the text " Tu es Petrus, et super hanc Petram aedificabo
ecclesiam meam, et tibi dabo claves regni coelorum." Immediately under
the dome is the high altar, above which is the grand baldacchino, nearly
ICO feet in height. The bronze weighs nearly 120,000 lbs., and the gilding
alone cost ^^8,500. Under the altar is the Tomb of St. Peter.

The " Cathedral of Rome " — the Lateran, which claims to be " the mother
of all the churches in the world " — is in the opposite — the south-eastern
part of the city. It derives its name from being built on the site of the
house of St. Lateran, a Roman senator. Here the Pope is crowned.

The Vatican is named after the Mons Vaticanus, on which it stands. It
is said to be the most extensive palace in the world. It is the residence of
the Pope. It is open every day from eight till eleven, and from two to five.
It contains " several " thousand rooms. Ascending a fine staircase called
the Scala Regia, the visitor enters the Sixtine Chapel, so called after Pope
Sixtus IV. It is adorned with frescoes by Michael Angelo, and includes
that art treasure of the world, " The Last Judgment." Leaving the Sixtine
Chapel, the visitor should turn to the right, ascend the stairs, and knock at
a closed door, Avhen he will be admitted into the rooms leadinginto the Stanze
of Raphael. In these three rooms are the masterpieces painted in fresco
by Raphael. He commenced them in 1508, when twenty-five years old.

The Vatican Picture Gallery contains comparatively few works, but they
are of great value. After the battle of Waterloo, the French were required
to restore many treasures they had carried away from the cities of Italy ;
and, instead of their being distributed among the cities whence they had
been taken, they were collected here. In the second room is Raphael's
last work — his masterpiece — ■" The Transfiguration." Ascending the stair-
case we enter "The Hall of the Greek Cross." On either side is a magnifi-
cent porphyry sarcophagus, one containing the remains of the mother of
Constantine, the other those of his daughter.

" The Hall of the Candelabra," on the second story, contains objects
interesting from an archaeological rather than from an artistic point of view.
The Vatican Library occupies the long west gallery that looks into the
gardens. Though many of its contents — especially the MSS. — are of price-
less value, 24,000 of them in Greek, Latin, and Oriental languages are shut
up in bookcases, and no books are visible except a few specimens. These
are placed in cases which may be opened if the guide is not pressed for

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-'^

time. There are also 30,000 printed books here. One of the most remark-
able manuscripts is the Vatican Codex — a Greek Bible of the third and
fourth centuries. The " G--at Hall " is 230 feet long by 56 wide. At the
end the Library branches otf to the right and to the left, and in the rooms
to the left are interesting museums of Christian antiquities, containing
articles used by the early Christians in their rites.

In the Museum of Sculpture at the Vatican there are nearly iSoo works,
many of them of great beauty. Near the Hall of Animals are the four most
celebrated pieces of sculpture — the "Laocoon," the "Apollo Belvedere,"
the " Boxers" by Canova, and the " Mercury." The " Sleeping Ariadne,"

which we have engraved, is also in the Galler}-, and takes ver)- high rank
for its general artistic excellence. In the Chiaramonti Galler)- there are
the " Niobid" and the " Voung Augustus."

In passing through the galleries of the \'atican one feeling is very strongly
aroused, and that is the feeling of boundless art-wealth that is contained
within its walls. In the Etruscan and Egyptian Museums, equally with its
rare vases, and still rarer tapestr)' and sculpture, the immense appreciation
of all art objects is vigorously manifested.

The galleries of Rome are exceptionally rich in sculpture. We give
some outline engravings of statues that are familiar to us all. They are
so celebrated that they have been reproduced in every variety of material
and for all uses. There are, however, conspicuous differences between the
sculpture of the Antique and that of the Middle Ages. The Moses of Michael
Angelo will illustrate the difference. In the Apollo or Discobolus the
essential characteristics are grace, beauty, and action, and as a rule these
may be said to be the general characteristics of Antique sculpture. In the

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Rome.

Moses these qualities are conspicuous by their absence, but we have in
their place force, grandeur, and might ; in its own way, it may be equally
perfect, but it is a perfection that has a diffei iPt ideal. It is natural and
inevitable that this should be so. The Greek niind revelled in the perfec-
tion of proportion, in buoyant life and in lightness and vitality of expression.
These qualities are manifested, not only in their buildings and sculptures,
but also in their drama and in their religion. The very opposite conditions
are to be found in the teachings enunciated in the Old Testament and
accepted by the Teutonic mind of Europe in the Middle Ages, In the
latter case the sense of power and force is the preponderating influence, and
it is thus that it comes out in the figure of Moses. Here we have the grand
head, the immense beard, the nervous fingers, and the huge limbs, each one
in perfect keeping with the general idea, and all leading up to the sense of
force in repose. The contrast becomes exceedingly forcible when the face
of Moses is compared with the face of any Greek statue. It may be worth
noting that all antique sculpture is practically Greek work, and although
much of it may have been produced under Roman influence and during
the Roman era, yet the work is the work of Greek artists and Greek feeling.
In no sense does this come out with greater distinctness than in the
celebrated statue of the Dying Gladiator, for in it we have all the wonderful
subtlety of physical expression, which was the highest evolution of Greek
art in its best days. Yet it is essentially a Roman idea. We have only
to recall the words of Byron to feel how truly this is so : —

" I see before me the gladiator lie :
He leans upon his hand — his manly brow
Consents to death, but conquers agony,
And his droop 'd head sinks gradually low —
And through his side the last drops, ebbing slow
From the red gash, fall heavy one by one,
Like the first of a thunder-shower ; and now
The arena swims around him — he is gone.

The various figures we have engraved are to be found in the under-named
galleries : —

The Dying Gladiator in the Capitol (Hall of the Gladiator).

The Sleeping Ariadne in the Vatican.

The Apollo Belvedere in the Vatican.

The Apollo Musagetes in the Vatican (Hall of the Muses).

The Laughing Faun in the Vatican.

Discobolus in the Vatican.

"The Churches of Rome," says Forsyth, "are admirable by their detail.
Their materials are rich, the workmanship is exquisite ; the orders are all
Greek ; every entablature is adjusted to the axis of each column with
a mathematical scrupulosity which is lost to the eye. One visionary line
runs upward, bisecting superstitiously every shaft, triglyph, ove, bend, dentel,
mutule, modilion, and lion's head, that lies in its way. Their aisles are
generally formed by arcades. Over these are sometimes grated recesses,

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Rome.

but never open galleries. The choir terminates in a curve, which is the
grand field of decoration, blazing with leaf-gold and glories. In the middle
of the cross is the high altar. The chapels of the Holy Sacrament and the
Virgin are usually in the transept."

Leaving the city, and passing down the Appian Way, the road at length
divides — that on the right leading up the ascent, till we find a small door in
the wall, which is the entrance to the Catacomb of St. Calixtus. Other
catacombs are near, and some six hundred in all have been discovered.
They are called Arenarioe, because of their sandy nature. They are arranged
in two or three, and sometimes even in four or five galleries, one above
another, and cross each other in every direction. They were originally ex-
cavated for building purposes, and afterwards were used by Christians for
secret habitations and places of worship. Most interesting relics have been
discovered, and many inscriptions and other memorials have been removed
to the Museum of Sacred Antiquities in the Vatican. Bottles, lamps, palm-
branches and reeds, mark the graves of martyrs ; while others are represented
by the dove, lyre, vine, lamb, or shepherd. Some ii,ooo inscriptions have
been examined.

The soil of the country round the city — the Ager Roma mis — is volcanic.
During the period of the Empire the " rolling surface was well cultivated, the
estates being farmed by slaves. Afterwards, as the prosperity of the capital
and population decayed, it became a waste, subject to malaria, which is
not incidental to the soil, but to the drainage. At present a narrow belt
of cultivation surrounds the city walls, then comes a desert for ten or
twenty miles, when cultivation reappears." The land is chiefly for pas-
turage. Some of the farms in the Campagna are 20,000 acres in extent.
The Sabine Mountains bound the Roman plain to the east, and afford a
striking contrast to the flat and desolate Campagna. " Gentle hills with
little lakes embosomed in them, swelling into bold and lofty mountains,
crowned with extensive forests, cascades darting down their steeps, and
smiling plains intervening, brilliant skies and balmy airs usually prevalent."
Here a long succession of illustrious ancients retired from noisy Rome, to
muse and study. " Amidst the dreary hills of the Campagna you would never
dream that a spot so romantic was at hand. For twenty tedious miles you
cross its bare and houseless track ; you ascend the hill of Tivoli amidst
the sad sameness of the pale olive ; you enter its narrow streets and behold
nothing but meanness and misery ; you walk but a few steps, and what a
prospect of indescribable beauty bursts upon your view ! "

The Catacombs. In all warm climates the disposal of the dead is an
important sanitary consideration, and many forms of worship are largely
influenced thereby. The Egyptians met the difficulty by embalming, the
Greeks by cremation, whilst the devotees of Brahman find the solution of
the difficulty in the sacred waters of the Ganges. But to our religion, death
has a more tender and sacred association. With us the hope of immortality
ennobles the bier, and flings a halo around even the semblance of humanity.

Rome.

We linger over the elements of decay, and cling with our fondest memories
to all the rites of sepulture. In the first portion of our own era, this feeling
developed itself with great intensity, and the immediate advent of the
Messiah was a passionate element of faith in the early Christian world.
This feeling enables us to understand the double use to which the Catac^'nbs
were applied. They formed a suitable form of sepulture, fulfilling all the
conditions of sanitation, and, at the same time, affording a safe and accep-
table hiding-place for the early Christians during the fierce persecutions to
which they were subjected. The catacombs were of immense extent,
forming a series of galleries, leading from each other, and it was to these,

2ii^

probably, those portions which were disused,
that the early Christians retreated for safety.
The inscriptions are on the walls, copies of
whi( h are here engraved. In the centre : a
view of the crypt of St. Cecilia in the Catacomb
of Calixtus, and shows the mode of burial, frescoes, &c.* The pictures
round represent :— An Arabesque of flowers and birds. " A Grave-digger,
or Fossor— early Christian." " Jonah swallowed by the great fish."'
"Jonah under the C.ourd." "Noah receiving the Dove into the Ark.'
" A Roman Lady— early Christian." " Moses striking the rock."

The Picture Galleries at Rome afford a never-failing source of enjoyment
to all lovers of art. Hanging on the walls of the various palaces may be
seen productions of the great masters, whose thoughts and works are

* Copied, by permission, from the Rev. Canon Northcole's book, entiiled, "A Visit
to the Roman Catacombs, 1877."

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Rome. w

appreciated all over the world. Among these great names we have selected
examples of Rafifaelle, Guido, and Titian. The picture of the "Transfigura-
tion " is in the second room at the Vatican, and is considered Raffaelle's
masterpiece ; it was not finished at the time of his death, but was thought
so highly of that, when he lay in state, it was placed at the head of his bier.
The picture is a great work of art, even when seen through the imperfect
medium of engravings.

Titian, like most other painters, generally had his subject chosen for him.
Sacred pictures for churchmen, mythological and portraits for princes.
When he did not, he painted, to please himself, what he called " Poesies,"
real poems on canvas. One of the most celebrated of these is the "Sacred
and Profane Love," in the Borghese Gallery at Rome. The allegory must
be interpreted by each observer for himself. The design is exquisitely
graceful, and the colour golden and harmonious.

In the Barberini Palace is the portrait of Beatrice Cenci, by Guido : it is
in the third room. The picture is remarkable for the profound sorrow
which is stamped on the face, and it is asserted that it was painted the night
before her execution. The tale is a very sad one, and full of sorrow, misery,
and crime ; it also illustrates in a vivid way the Italian life of that period.
In the same room is the portrait of the Fornarina, by Raffaelle, the associa-
tions of which are infinitely more pleasant.

Raffaelle died at thirty-seven years of age. Tradition has ever associated
his name with that of " La Fornarina," said to have been a baker's daughter.
A portrait of her is in the Barberini Palace at Rome, and another in the
Tribune at Florence. This last, however, is now thought to be the likeness
of Beatrice Farnese, a poetess known to Raffaelle. Dr. Passavant doubts
the whole story of the Fornarina.

On the next page but one we have engraved some of the frescoes from
the Sistine Chapei, painted by Michael Angelo, and usually regarded as of
very high excellence. At the present day they appear somewhat out of date,
and seem more curious than beautiful. They present, in a very vivid
manner, the change that has crept over the higher class of European
thought, for to our scientific age and ideas they border on the grotesque.
Let anyone look, for example, at the two frescoes, " The Creation of the
Earth," and " The Creation of Adam," and then ask himself how far they
coincide with his conception of either grandeur or sublimity. It is difficult
to understand the reverence with which they have been regarded, or the
exceedingly high standard of artistic excellence that has been accorded to
them by common consent. It is only by leavening our thought with the
ideas that were prevalent some three centuries since, that we can in any
way bring ourselves to the level of a fair judgment, ^^^len, however, all
this is conceded, it seems difiicult to understand how these frescoes of the
Sistine Chapel won their great reputation.

L3r-

^rZ) ,':^^r^2°^C- J/! SACREDand profane love 3 '^i^'^^ /^Tv ,/r * /^

;Ar\i^ \-f/,-..^n'NTHEBORGHESE PALACE ROME ,1^<^ V '^iV^ .' JiCr<^"^y>

?5^ etr^

NAPLES. t

The line of railway that runs from Marseilles clings to the borders of the
Mediterranean, past Nice and its adjacent health resorts, past Genoa and
its palaces, past Leghorn and its commercial life, past Civita Vecchia to
Rome. Here and there are breaks in this long line. At Genoa, for example,
the branches shoot off for Milan and Turin, whilst at Leghorn they link
together Pisa and Florence, Bologna and Venice; thus the whole of the
great cities, memorable from their associations with the past, or tempting
from their treasures of the present, are bound together by that iron road.
From Rome the railway no longer skirts the coast, but branching inland
links Capua and Caserta with Naples.

Of all the treasure-cities of which Italy can boast, there are few that can
enter into competition with Naples. The site is one of surpassing loveli-
ness, and associated with the life of the past. In its neighbourhood the
old Greeks founded their colonies, and their conquerors the Romans built
their villas. Here Cicero wrote. Here also is the tomb of Virgil, and near
here is that locality which Horace declared was " peerless in the world " —
Baioe. The luxuriance of vegetation, the brilliancy of light, the soothing
calm of the sea, the softness of the air, have all combined to make Naples
a great centre of luxury, and a great resting-place for the educated and the
idle. To-day its charms still hold their own. In its Gallery, with its large
collection of good pictures, men feel that time glides swiftly away. In the
other portions of the Museum this is even more distinctly the case, for here
are all the treasures of Pompeii, not only boundless in their profusion, but
enthrallingly interesting. They recall with a vi\id realism the life of the
past in a manner not to be equalled in any other portion of the world.-
The Museum is open daily from 9 till 5 ; admission, i franc. Free on
Sundays, from 10 till i.

In the Museum will be found almost every article of life belonging to
the people at Pompeii as they existed 1800 years ago : here are amphorre
with olive oil, figs and cherries, saucepans with meat, kettles, basins, jugs,
lamps, knives, spoons, surgical instruments, toilet articles, &c. Some idea
of the vastness of the collection may be formed when it is remembered that
there are eighteen thousand objects from Herculaneum and Pompeii. In
the large hall is the Farnese Hercules, the most celebrated ancient colossal
statue ; it is from the Baths of Caracalla at Rome. Here also is the ecjually
celebrated Farnese Bull. In the first corridor are the busts of the Em-
perors. In the second corridor is the finest e(iuestrian statue yet dis-
covered; it was found at Herculaneum. In the fifth hall is the celebrated
Farnese Gladiator. In the eighth hall is the Torso of Bacchus, greatly
admired. In the upper floor are articles in silver, gold, \-c.. and here may
be seen the only gold lamp found at Pomjieii — on a column. Near the
window is the celel)rated Tazza Farnese. The jncturc galler)* contains some
hundreds of paintings, and our engravings show two or three of the more
celebrated jiicturcs, also some of the more remarkable statues, &c. In

<0^ <wi_i

^^ : 1

Naples there are more than three hundred churches, many of them of great
beauty. The catliedral is the most important, and it has been said that
the tracery of the arch of the nave is perfect. There are also some fine
frescoes and paintings. The more remarkable churches are : — Santo Chiara,
S. Dominico Maggiore, S. Filippo Neri, S. Giovanni a Carbonara,
LTncoronata, S. Lorenzo, S. Maria dell' Annunziata, S. Maria la Nuova,
S. Severino, S. Sosio. There are several palaces in Naples, but as a whole
they are not much worth seeing after the plethora of riches and beauty that
may be found elsewhere. In some of the streets of Naples the life is busy
and characteristic of energy, whilst in other parts may be seen a portion of
the population who roll themselves up like dogs and bask in the sun. On
the Mole or on the sea-shore may still occasionally be seen the Italian
story-teller surrounded by his group of listeners. Everywhere there are
conditions which mark the wide difference which exists between the Italian
life and our own at home. One of the special points of attraction at Naples
is the Aquarium, which illustrates in a vivid manner the fauna of the
Mediterranean. Every traveller who is interested in a mild way with the
teachings of geology should make a visit to the Ruins of the Temple of
Serapis, at Pozzuoli. It is remarkable as indicating the change of level in
the land, the alternate rising and depressing of the sea coast. This spot is
also interesting as being the harbour where St. Paul landed when on his
way to Rome as a prisoner. It is worthy of note that the religion of Egypt
was taught in the Temple until the second century. From Naples and its
suburbs there is a natural sense of transition to Pompeii and its wonders.
The most sensible way to reach Pompeii is by the railway. Trains from
Naples run frequently. There is probably no place in the world of such
surpassing interest as Pompeii. It recalls in the most vivid and direct
manner the condition and life of a Roman city nearly two thousand years
ago. Here is the Temple of Venus standing in its surroundings identically
the same as when sacrifice was last offered up.

Here also are the long ranges of streets broken up into every class of
habitation, and telling alike of the life of the slave and the free. Here is the
Temple of I sis, with its elegant halls, its sacred well, and the smoke on its wall
from the sacrificial fires. Here also were found the evidences of the fierce
struggle for life of the imprisoned one who stro\-e to hew his way through
the wall by the axe which was lying by his skeleton hand. No page of
history is so full of dramatic incidents as the city of Pompeii. It bubbles
over with ideas, incidents, and suggestions. The cone of Vesuvius has
grown larger since the day of its doom, but the sides of the mountain had
rocked with earthquakes before the hot rain fell on the joyous city. Warn-
ings were everywhere, but they came to those who would not listen.

There are some pictures at Naples, as also some statues from Pompeii in
the Museum, which once seen are rarely forgotten. Two of the pictures
are here engraved, and they are typically representati\-e alike in their
technical qualities and tone of sentiment. In the Zingarella we have that

;S6

"SV

ib.'

I ii

Naples. '

subtle tenderness, delicate beauty, and profoundly human sentiment that
carry us captive by their charms. This picture also illustrates in a striking
manner how small a part mere size of canvas has to do with permanency
of reputation. The Zingarella is widely celebrated, and yet the canvas is
not more than fifteen inches wide. Anyone, however, who looks at the
face of the mother as she bends with infinite tenderness over her child, will
understand in a moment why its reputation is so great. In the same way,
although for an entirely different set of reasons, it is easy to understand the
great renown of the picture, Pieta, by A. Carracci. Here we have the great
and exceedingly difficult subject of " The Dead Christ " treated in a manner
.vhich gives to the picture a solemnity as though we were in the presence of
the dead. It is, however, death deprived of its sting, for the figure is living
in its natural beauty, and soothing from its sense of repose. To our present
century thought, the introduction of the cupids or angels jars on our feelings.
They break the grandeur and force of the teaching. The picture is, how-
ever, worthy of its great name, and helps to explain the immense influence
exercised by the painters of that period. As a broad contrast to the above
mentioned pictures nothing can be more fitting than the two frescoes from
Pompeii at the bottom corners of our engraving. The female figure on the
left is perfect in its buoyant natural beauty, full of living charm, and Greek
in its most essential characteristics ; the movement of the body, the play
of the drapery, the attitude and the expression, are grouped into perfect
harmony. It would be difficult to name any single picture or statue in which
all the essentials of art are so splendidly blended as in this fresco. The
same may almost be said of the small sketch at the right-hand bottom
corner ; the delicate humour of the little cupid fishing in the same little
pool of water with the beautiful Neapolitan Venus, is charming alike for
drawing, humour, and sentiment. If we turn from the drawings to the
sculpture, the same general excellence is to be found. In the figure named
Narcissus, the attitudes of listening attention, easy pose, and natural grace
are manifested in every part, and the same may be said of the sitting
Mercury. In an equal degree the bronzes and vases bear the stamp of the
higher characters of the Greek artist. It must be remembered that Pompeii
was a Greek settlement, and the influence of the Greek intelligence was felt
in every part of Roman life. The subject race were the supreme arbiters of
taste, so that Greek art equally with Greek philosophy dominated the
Roman mind. It was the entire supremacy of this feeling amid the ranks
of the governing classes at Rome which will probably tend to explain the
apparent eccentricities of Nero ; it was his ambition to be at once an
Emperor and an artist, and under the sway of the feeling of the artist his
claim to be a governor was subordinated. This came out with great clear-
ness at Naples, when he played his celebrated cantata, and insisted upon
continuing after the theatre in which the performance was taking place
had been partly destroyed by an earthquake. The love of art permeated
the very fibre of the people, and received a constant impulse from imperial

388

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Naples

magnificence and sympathy. It is thus that we are enabled to understand
the wide ])rofusion of articles of taste and skill which have been recovered
from the city of Pompeii,

The disentombment of the city continues, and enough has already been
done to make quite clear the general conditions which belonged to it.
There are to be seen the Forum, the Temple of Jupiter, the Prison, the
Temple of Augustus, the Temple of Mercury ; here are kept a large number
of relics, as vases, fetters, wheels, earthenware, &c. Special attention
should be given to the white marble altar in the centre of the court. Not
far from here is the great Theatre, and adjoining this is the small Theatre.
Near here also is the House of the Sculptor, so named from all the imple-
ments of that profession having been found there. Our engravings speak for
themse'-.cs, and represent the Amphitheatre, the House of Meleager, a
general view of Pompeii, the Street of Tombs, and the Baker's Shop ; many
others might have been selected equally interesting, but those taken give a
good idea of the general condition of the city, now that it is once more open
to the light of day.

It is quite impossible to give minute details of this great store house of
interest and novelty. It is enough to say that the best way to see Pompeii
is to enter at the Porta della Marina and terminate with the Street of Tombs.
The charge for entrance is two francs for each person, which includes the
service of a guide, who accompanies the party throughout. Three or four
hours should be devoted to the visit. In this visit few things will be found
more impressive than the narrowness of the streets, the smallness of most
of the houses, the height of the pathways from the road, and the ruts worn
into the lava blocks by the traffic of the wheels. They bring before us
the every-day life of the people with greater vividness than the temples, the
theatres, or the baths. The same may be said of the house of the surgeon,
or the shops for the sale of oil or soap. In an almost equal degree we are
interested in the announcements found in different parts of the city, having
reference to contests for the position of sedile, for drawing attention to the show
of wild beasts, or for giving point to the contest at the Baths, two of which we
append : — " The Gladiatorial troupe of Suettius Curius, the aedile, will fight
at Pompeii on the last day of May. There will be a chase of wild beasts, and
awnings to protect spectators from the sun." Does not this read like the
announcement of one of our prize fights and a performance at a menagerie ?
What shall we say to this: — "At the dedication of the Baths at the expense
of Cuacus Alleius Nigidius Maius, there will be a venatio, athletic contests,
sprinkling of perfumes, and awnings. Prosperity to Maius, chief of the
Colony."

The mode in which Pompeii was destroyed renders its present condition
very easy to understand. " Everywhere are seen two layers, one over the
other, one layer of small whitish pumice-stone, called at Naples A/////; they
are about the size of a pea ; and above these is a layer of brown dust,
exceedingly fine and movable. Pompeii was not then either covered with

39°

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the lava, as later so many villages situated near the volcano have been, or
drowned by a stream of mud, as Herculaneum. It was buried under
enormous masses o{ lapili and the dust of pumice-stone — generally but very
imperfectly called cinders. The intense heat of these lapili and dust
coming red hot from the burning crater, carbonized the roofs of the houses,
which were made of wooden beams, and then forced their way through the
ceilings. The houses were by degrees entirely filled up by the incessant
fall of the volcanic dust." Few things recall with greater distinctness the
circumstances than the overturned hour-glass, which points to two hours
after midnight. In many parts of the town were found skeletons, indicating
those who failed to escape. In the prison there were prisoners who thus
perished, and the shackles were around their leg bones when discovered. At
the Temple of Jupiter was the skeleton of a man crushed by the falling of a
column. In the barracks sixty-four skeletons were discovered, one holding
a silver cup, four in the iron stocks, and a number grouped together, and
supposed to be the soldiers who were on guard. Treasures of gold, silver,
and jewels were frequently found associated with the skeletons of women.
Now it was a casket, as in the case of the House of Holonius, w^hilst in the
House of the Faun, there lay by her side, gold rings, bracelets, and jewels,
which she appeared to have been taking with her in her flight, when
the roof gave way. All these and a thousand kindred illustrations may
easily be found, for it is the testimony of a great city sealed up in the depth
of night in its integrity, and remaining unopened for 1800 years.

The chief streets of Pompeii are,

The Dominitana, leading from the Forum to the gate of Herculaneum.

The Strada della Abondanza leads from the Forum to the gate of Sarno.

The Strada della Nola leads from the Forum to the gate of Nola.

The Strada della Forum leads from the Forum to the city walls.

The walls were the chief fortifications of Pompeii, and were composed of
large stones well and carefully laid, but not fastened together in any way,
beyond their own weight.

In the immediate neighbourhood of Pompeii are Salerno, Sorrento, Cas-
tellamare, Capri, and a host of other places of beauty and renown. Among
these Castellamare possesses special claims as a health resort, as a summer
retreat, and as a locality abounding with splendid scener)-. Near here is
the Monte S. Angelo, from the summit of which splendid views can be
obtained of the Bays of Naples, Gaeta, and Salerno. The price for guide
and donkey is five francs, and it takes about eight hours to accomplish.

There are two points in connection with Italy which travellers should
bear in mind. The first is, never drink water unless well assured of its
purity ; if doubtful, have it boiled ; failing that, drink either beer or the wine
of the country. The other point is not to remain out after the sun sets.
The reason for this is obvious, as the chill which supervenes condenses any
malaria there may be in the air, and thus the danger. This is especially
necessary with respect to Rome and its neighbourhood.

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